


Disperato

by incurableinsanity



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: AU, M/M, various minor pairings - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-28
Updated: 2014-01-20
Packaged: 2017-12-24 21:26:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 2
Words: 27,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/944840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/incurableinsanity/pseuds/incurableinsanity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While Tsuna isn't too keen on visiting gay bars, Takeshi manages to drag him to one anyway. His first time is a catastrophe after being drugged by some maniac, but he finds that the silverette he meets a time after that, and then forth is quite cute in his own right, and he will do anything to make the other smile and laugh.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Disperato (Tsuna)

**Author's Note:**

> Setting: KHR, AU  
> Pairing: 2759; a few various minor pairings.  
> Genre: Romance  
> Point of View: Third-person  
> Warnings: Homosexual relationships, swearing, assaults, minor drugs, sexual assault, attempts at humor, and possible OOC. Italics are flashbacks, thoughts, foreign words or stressed words.  
> Further Notes: "Disperato" is Italian for "desperate." As for the AU, there's no mafia and its practically a normal life setting taking place in Japan. In addition, Gokudera will be pretty out of character.

The first time twenty-one year old Yamamoto dragged him to a gay bar, same-age Tsuna wished he took up his older brother's, Xanxus', offer to spar. He could have had a nice relaxing evening of fighting his three older brothers: Xanxus; Reborn; and Giotto. But, no, Takeshi had to decide that because he was homosexual, he needed to get out and have a good time with his fellow homosexuals (read: Takeshi and a shit ton of strangers he'd rather not know).

In all his extensive collection of friends, only Takeshi and he were homosexuals, but their close knit group didn't mind at all. In fact, Kyoko and Haru giggled over being friends with gay men (Hana didn't seem to care one way or another), and their guy friends made jokes at them (such as "that's what _he_ said" and "get it in their ass, bro") that made the both of them bust out laughing.

But really, Tsuna hated gay bars. Not because he hated bars in general, but because he disliked how feminine and flamboyant some gays could actually be. They were fine as people, and Tsuna typically tolerated them, but he disliked when they came onto him. He preferred someone who was more masculine like himself, like Takeshi, except the fact that he and Takeshi saw each other more as siblings than as possible people to shack up with.

Or in Tsuna's preference, an actual relationship. He didn't want one night stands like most of the people in the bar offer, but legitimate relationships with someone he could love wholly. Sighing, Tsuna took another sip of his beer, watching as Takeshi danced with several men all at once. It always amazed him how the baseball lover could attract so much attention. Then again, his jeans hanging dangerously low on his hips might have had something to do with it.

"Not having a good night?" The brunette turned his head, glancing at the one next to him. The man was white-haired with an odd purple tattoo underneath his eye.

"I don't prefer the bar scene," Tsuna shrugged. "Friend asked me to come."

"Ah, I see," The male grinned. "Byakuran. And you?"

"Tsuna," He returned the greeting. "And, why are you here, Byakuran _-san_?"

"Looking for some fun. You in?" Tsuna knew what he was implying, and didn't like it one bit.

"No, thank you. I'm sure someone else would love to, though," He rejected the man as kindly as possible. Byakuran frowned and shrugged. Tsuna glanced back at Takeshi, who seemed to have found a raven with steel eyes to dance with, though the stranger seemed a little annoyed and flustered. Shaking his head, he downed the rest of his beer. He blinked, however, when his vision became slightly blurred, and shook his head once more. He winced; his mind felt oddly hazy. Moving to get to the bathroom, he stumbled, but was caught by a strong arm. He barely managed to see that its Byakuran, who was grinning.

 _Shit_ , Tsuna thought, _I'm fucking drugged_. He's helpless as Byakuran led him out of the bar and around to the alleyway next to the building. He was hardly able to struggle, feeling his eyes trying to slip shut. His limbs felt heavy as his assailant started to unbutton his shirt.

"OI!" An unfamiliar voice shouted, and Tsuna could only watch as Byakuran was punched by someone he couldn't really see. The white-haired man flew back into a dumpster, and his savior ran over in a hurry, asking if he was okay. Before he can say or do anything, however, he lost consciousness.

* * *

When Tsuna finally woke up, he's back in his room in the apartment he shared with his brothers. Sitting up, he felt his head pound in protest, and grabbed it out of instinct. The door to his room opened and in walked Giotto, his oldest brother at twenty-seven that worked in a law firm.

"Tsuna, you're awake!" The blond said frantically and ran over. "Are you alright?"

"My head is killing me..." Tsuna frowned, "What happened?"

"You...don't remember?" Giotto mirrored his frown.

"I remember going to the bar with Yamamoto, and talking to someone...and then nothing."

"Ah, I see," His brother seemed to contemplate something and then said seriously, "Tsuna, you were drugged last night."

"...What?"

"Yamamoto _-kun_ brought you home last night. He said he went to look for you, and you were gone. He had run out of the bar and a guy was carrying you. The guy handed you over to Yamamoto _-kun_ , told him that you were drugged and he just punched the face of the guy who did it to you. Yamamoto _-kun_ thanked the crap out of him and brought you back here."

A guy saved him...thinking back... Ah. Tsuna winced but replied, "I remember someone saving me."

"Do you remember who drugged you?" Giotto sat on the bed next to him, a worried look on his face. Tsuna thought back, attempting to recall last night.

"Someone...with white hair? His name started with a B..." He thought aloud, closing his eyes.

"Ah, that's good enough. I'll ask Yamamoto _-kun_ if the guy who saved you specified who it was." Giotto sighed, "In the meantime, want something to eat?"

Tsuna's stomach answered for him with a large growl. Both brothers laughed.

"Alright, to the kitchen we go," Giotto grabbed his hand and helped him up. They both made their way to the nice-sized kitchen, where Tsuna spotted Reborn, his twenty-five year old brother (who did something for work that Tsuna never bothered asking about), talking to G., a twenty-seven year old redhead that was in a relationship with Giotto and worked as a tattoo artist, about something along the lines of weaponry.

"Oh, Tsuna _-kun_ , I heard what happened. How are you feeling?" G. asked when he spotted the brunette.

"Better. Just a small headache right now," Tsuna smiled and joined the two at the table. Reborn snorted,

"I should kill Yamamoto for even bringing you there."

"Its not his fault," Tsuna defended instantly. "I should have been more careful."

"Damn right you should have been. We're training later," Reborn crossed his arms in annoyance.

"No, he's resting today. Not everyone makes a speedy recovery like you Reborn," Giotto admonished, and placed a plate full of various breakfast foods in front of his youngest brother. Tsuna thanked him and began to eat. "We'll train him tomorrow."

"How I'd hate to be in your shoes, Tsuna _-kun_ ," G. snickered. "Being trained by three violent older brothers."

"I'm not violent; I'm protective," Giotto corrected instantly. Reborn only smirked. Tsuna smiled slightly, finishing the food in record time and knew if Xanxus was home from the job the twenty-three year old was at right now (an auto-mechanic, actually), then he'd probably laugh it off. He often wondered how G. was so welcomed in the home of three protective older brothers that would nearly kill a person if they dared harm him. Maybe going out with Giotto had something to do with it.

"Its very unfortunate," He laughed, standing and putting the plate in the sink. "It means being beaten up three times over."

"I only teach you self defense tricks that G. showed me," Giotto protested and shot a look at Reborn while saying, "I don't shoot at you with BB guns."

"So you're the reason I get put into headlocks," Tsuna turned to the redhead, who only shrugged.

"I taught him to protect himself because I get into a lot of fights. I didn't think he'd pass it on."

"How else would I teach Tsuna to protect himself?" The blond stuck out his tongue, letting the other excuse himself when his phone suddenly rang. "Anyway, Tsuna, rest only today!"

"Where would I go? I don't have class today," Tsuna conceded, raising his hands in a placating manner. "I'll go back to sleep once I shower."

"Alright, fine," Giotto nodded. G. returned, giving a quick kiss to the blond's lips. Tsuna held back a chuckle when Reborn made a face.

"Got to go. I have to pick up my cousin."

"Eh, from where?" Giotto blinked.

"Where he stayed last night apparently. I'm going to kill him for not calling till now," G. all but growled. He headed for the front door, tossing out 'see you' as he left.

"G. has a cousin?" Tsuna turned to his eldest brother.

"Ah, yeah. Your age I think. He has some issues though, and G.'s the only one who will look after him," Giotto supplied. "His cousin has an older half sister I think, but they don't get along very well. Plus, his half sister is in Italy, and G. is the only one who cares since they grew up practically in the same house."

"I've never seen him, and you were with G. basically twenty-four seven when we were kids," Reborn raised an eyebrow.

"I met him once or twice, but like I said, he has quite a few problems. He was either locked in his room or out until the middle of the night," Giotto shrugged. As his two brothers continued to talk about this mysterious cousin, Tsuna left to go shower. His brothers were so into talking about the guy, that Tsuna didn't even bother excusing himself.

* * *

One week later, Tsuna found himself drinking at Takeshi's place, along with Ryohei, Hana, Kyoko, Haru, Dino, and Lambo. Lambo was excited considering he recently turned twenty, and could finally drink (legally, that is) with the rest of them.

"Yamamoto, why exactly are we drinking?" Tsuna sighed, but took the offered beer nonetheless. "I have tests to study for."

"But Tsuna," Takeshi whined, "who needs an actual reason to drink? And you can study at home."

"You told me to come here because you wanted to study!" The group laughed. "If I fail another test, Reborn _-nii_ will shoot me."

"Well, you can't blame him, Tsuna," Dino smiled. "Its been a while since we've all gotten together."

"That's because we've all been busy," Kyoko added and Haru nodded in agreement.

"I do have better things to do than drink, you know," Hana frowned.

"No, Hana, you extremely have to stay!" Ryohei protested.

"I never said I was leaving."

"Anyways, who cares why we're drinking? Let's get wasted!" Takeshi grinned. While the others cheered, Tsuna just sighed. His friends were weird. Though he supposed that made him weird too.

 _Well whatever_ , he figured, _might as well drink_.

* * *

Three hours later, Tsuna watched as his friends tumbled over one another as they played Twister. Ryohei and Hana were cuddled up on a couch and passed out already. Dino, Lambo, and Takeshi were the ones playing Twister, and Kyoko and Haru were managing the spinner. When Lambo nearly threw up all over everyone (just barely making it to the toilet in the bathroom), Tsuna decided he needed to go home. He fished out his cell phone, scrolling down to Giotto's number. He sent a quick message, asking to be picked up. Ten minutes passed by with no response, but eventually he got one.

' _Tsuna, sorry, but I can't! I'm still stuck at work and I have the car. I called G. and he said he wouldn't mind picking you up._ '

Tsuna sighed and replied, ' _Okay, I'll call him. Thanks anyway._ ' Inwardly grateful to the fact he had the redhead's number and that he was willing to get him, he pressed the call button. It rang once, twice, three times.

"Hey Tsuna _-kun_ ," G.'s voice filtered through the speaker.

"Hi, G. _-san_ ," Tsuna smiled, trying to ignore the loud voices of his inebriated friends. "I'm sorry for the trouble, but would you mind picking me up?"

"No problem, just give me the address," G. replied. Once Tsuna gave him the location of Takeshi's apartment, he was told that the redhead would be there in twenty minutes. In the meantime, the brunette looked over his friends.

"Tsuna, c'mon, play a round with us!" Takeshi grinned wildly.

"I'll pass thanks. I think Lambo wants to go again though," He smirked slightly when the younger male looked horrified.

"Pass, pass, pass, pass!" He said in a hurry. Dino ended up snorting when he began to laugh, causing everyone to crack up at him instead. Finally, the door was knocked on and Tsuna left to go get it.

"Hey, G _.-san_ ," He greeted when he opened it.

"Ready to go?" G. smiled in amusement, looking in to see all the others still laughing and yelling.

"Goodnight guys!" Tsuna called, getting a chorus of 'bye' and 'no, don't go yet!' Chuckling, Tsuna headed out the door, closing it firmly behind him and following G. back outside the building. "Thanks again for the lift."

"Anytime," G. shrugged, "you're like a little brother to me too."

"Except you're shacking up with Giotto _-nii_."

"Brother-in-law then."

"Great, just what I need," Tsuna smiled, "another overprotective brother."

"At least this one has a bad ass tattoo on his face and doesn't try to beat you up."

" _Pft_ ," Tsuna giggled, covering his large grin with his hand. Finally, they both made it to G.'s car, a black car that Tsuna knew nothing about. Cars weren't his thing; they were Xanxus'. He got into the passenger seat, when G.'s phone rang.

"Yes?" He answered, waiting for the recipient to speak. Tsuna sat in silence, curious, and tried to listen in on the conversation. "Again? This is the third night in a row, damn it." G. sighed, "where are you...? Alright, I'll be there in fifteen." G. shut his phone, and shot the brunette an apologetic look. "Sorry, Tsuna- _kun_. Do you mind if we stop to pick up my cousin?"

"No problem. I'm the one who asked you for a ride anyway," Tsuna dismissed his apology. G. nodded and started up the car. The car ride was mostly silent, except for the music coming from the radio. Tsuna watched the passing scenery, unable to decipher where exactly they were going. Within fifteen minutes, the redhead had pulled the car over. Off to the side, sitting on the steps to a house, was a male with silver hair and jade green eyes. His clothes looked disheveled, and he had a lit cigarette hanging from his mouth. Tsuna squinted, noticing that he looked exhausted.

"Hayato, let's go!" G. yelled after rolling down a window. The silverette stood, glancing at Tsuna, and put out his cigarette before reluctantly getting into the backseat.

"...Thanks," He murmured, barely audible.

"Yeah, yeah," G. sighed. "Hayato, this is Sawada Tsunayoshi. He's Giotto's youngest brother. Tsuna _-kun_ , this is Gokudera Hayato, my cousin."

"Hello," Tsuna greeted politely. He got a small nod in response. The ride to Tsuna's house was in silence, even though it looked like the redhead wanted to reprimand his cousin for something. Tsuna bid them both goodnight, gaining one response from G., but was ignored by Hayato.

That was only the first of many times Tsuna would meet the strange silverette.

* * *

"Eh, you met G.'s cousin?" Giotto asked in surprise the next day. "How is he? I haven't seen him since I was twelve."

"He looked exhausted from something when I saw him," Tsuna shrugged. "Before G. _-san_ drove me home, he got a call from Gokudera- _san_ and he had to pick him up. So I got to meet him."

"What are you idiots talking about?" Xanxus yawned as he walked into the kitchen ("Can't you respect your elder brother?" Giotto sighed). "You hit it up with some guy, Tsuna?"

" _NO_! I'm not you," Tsuna remarked, irritated. His brother could be annoyingly crass at times. "Can't you go one night without having sex with a guy?"

"I do what I want," Xanxus snorted, sitting down at the table.

"You know, I'm glad I made all the rooms soundproof..." Giotto mumbled to himself, "though I hope not to find some random man in this apartment."

"Its not random; its just Squalo- _san_ ," Tsuna smiled deviously at Xanxus,. "I don't get why you just won't start a legitimate relationship with him. You guys are practically joined at the hip lately."

"Shut up, Tsunayoshi," Xanxus glared. Both brothers grinned, knowing he was embarrassed.

"You know, I wonder how Reborn _-nii_ deals with having three homosexual brothers," Tsuna chirped, the thought suddenly in his mind.

"I think its because Mother kept trying to have girls, so she had gay sons instead," Giotto smiled.

"Are you calling me girly?" Xanxus and Tsuna both said.

"I'm a masculine gay, dammit!" Tsuna added as an afterthought.

"No you're not," Reborn snorted as he walked into the room. He tugged on his fedora and said, "I deal with you three because you're family. And-"

"Family is most important," Tsuna and Giotto finished.

"Exactly. And there's nothing wrong with it, so I don't care," Reborn glared at Xanxus, "Get out of my seat."

"It doesn't have your name on it," The other challenged. Tsuna sighed. It was a typical morning for the four of them...

...but he felt like he forgot what he was talking about earlier.

* * *

Tsuna had no idea why he let Takeshi drag him to the same gay bar again. He was assured numerous times that the guy who assaulted him was in jail. He supposed as long as he didn't drink anything, he'd be alright. Which was why, he sat on the corner bar seat, watching Takeshi dance with one guy in particular. The guy had raven hair and steel eyes, and Tsuna recognized him from the last time he was here. The stranger looked uncomfortable dancing, but Takeshi paid no mind, completely at ease with the guy and the brunette had half a mind to think his friend dragged the man onto the dance floor. Tsuna shook his head, watching them with some amusement. He did keep an eye out for whats-his-face, but he didn't see him at all. So that put his mind at ease.

A few guys did try to talk and flirt with him, but he politely turned them down. At least they took the hint and walked away, rather than try to drug him. Happening to look to the side, he spotted a flash of silver walking in his direction.

"Gokudera- _san_?" He blinked a few times. The other turned, proving that yes, it was Gokudera, and he seemed to look surprised as well.

"Ah...Sawada- _san_." He murmured as he came closer. He looked uncomfortable, as if he was being caught doing something bad. "I...didn't know you came here."

"Ah, a friend of mine asked me to come with him. Are you here often, Gokudera- _san_?" Tsuna asked, his first impression of the silverette thrown out the window. At first he looked rude and easily annoyed, but now...

"Ah, yeah, I guess," Hayato looked off to the side. The brunette couldn't help but wonder what he looked so nervous about.

"Hayato _-kun_ ," A voice purred, catching both of their attention. Tsuna noted how the other stiffened. "Are you coming or what?"

"One minute, Mukuro," Gokudera frowned and softly said, "Goodnight, Sawada _-san_." Before the brunette could say anything else, he watched as the other disappeared with a purple-haired male, who had his arm around the silverette's shoulders. Tsuna narrowed his eyes in thought.

Why was Gokudera so sad looking?

* * *

Tsuna sighed. All during class, he kept thinking back to how reserved and quiet Gokudera was. When he left with that Mukuro character, is seemed like he was just barely tolerating leaving with that guy. His voice was soft, like he thought he wouldn't come back...

Was he in trouble? Was he secretly asking for help?

His intuition was being completely useless right now. Besides, he didn't even know the silverette that well, so how could he make assumptions? Frowning to himself, he scribbled a few notes from the lecture he was only half paying attention to. Takeshi to his left was completely asleep, so he did have to take a few notes. By the time class ended, Tsuna was confused about G.'s cousin and practically clueless about the lecture. Yamamoto yawned loudly as they left the classroom, heading out of the building right after.

"Tsuna, you should come with me to the club again." The baseball lover ginned.

"Why? I sit there and watch you dance with a bunch of guys," Tsuna snorted, turning his head. A blond (bangs covering the eyes), definitely male, was grinning largely and had his arm hooked around the waist of...was that Gokudera? He went to this college?

"C'mon, this guy I really like only goes to the club on Thursdays and Fridays, and today is Friday!" Takeshi continued, oblivious to his distraction. Gokudera looked uncomfortable with a look of resignation. Tsuna frowned and only watched as the two disappeared around the building's corner.

"...Wait, you like someone?" Tsuna blinked, suddenly back on topic. "Is it that raven I've seen you dance with?"

"It is!" Yamamoto smiled, "His name is Hibari Kyoya. He goes to the club to look after a friend that nearly goes everyday. He's a little unsociable but I got him to open up a little. He said he's kind of worried about his friend, because he's leaving every night with a guy."

"Well, when _you_ do that, it worries me too," Tsuna shot him a pointed look, "but that still doesn't explain why I have to go with you."

"He told me that he would dance with me willingly if someone could keep an eye on his friend." Takeshi clapped his hands together and made puppy eyes. "Please, Tsuna!"

Damn it, Tsuna hated his puppy eyes. They always had a eighty percent chance of working, especially when Takeshi didn't ask for favors often. He usually just dragged the other along, but if he was asking for a favor...then he supposed he could... "Alright, alright. I'll go," Tsuna sighed. Maybe he could find Gokudera too.

"Awesome, I'll pick you up at nine-thirty!" The raven smiled.

Well, its not like he had anything better to do.

* * *

Tsuna walked into the bar with Takeshi leading him. The raven was overly excited, Tsuna noted; he must really like this guy. His best friend looked around a few times, before spotting the person he was looking for. The brunette was dragged around various dancers, men and women alike, and finally stopped at the back corner. Tsuna wasn't surprised he never even noticed this area because it was hardly lit compared to the rest of the bar.

"Hey, Hibari," Takeshi smiled, greeting the raven that stood there with his arms crossed. Hibari grunted and shot a look to Tsuna. "Ah, Hibari, this is Sawada Tsunayoshi. Tsuna, this is Hibari Kyouya."

"Nice to meet you," Tsuna greeted warmly, smiling slightly.

"Hn." Hibari nodded curtly. He wasn't very talkative...Tsuna wondered how Takeshi could like him.

"Hibari, Tsuna said he would keep an eye out for your friend," Yamamoto grinned.

"He's not my friend," was the immediate protest.

"Right, right. So, just tell Tsuna who it is, and what he looks like, and then I can dance with you!"

"Fine..." Kyouya sighed, and pointed into the crowd. "Him. Silver hair."

"Eh..." Tsuna followed the gesture. Silver hair probably meant...Gokudera! That was definitely Gokudera standing off to the side, being talked to by three different males; it seemed like the strangers were more than likely fighting than anything.

"Gokudera Hayato," Kyouya specified.

"Okay, thanks Tsuna! C'mon, Hibari!" Takeshi smiled and grabbed the other's hand. Tsuna watched as Takeshi dragged the guy off, who looked quite reluctant at this. Maybe he didn't think Yamamoto would find anyone? Oh well, he had to keep an eye on Hayato. He made his way to the counter, sitting on the stool of the end, silently and discreetly watching the silverette. His object of interest didn't seem to be responding the advances of the others, rather he was probably waiting for it to sort itself out. Tsuna turned his head fully, accidentally making eye contact when the other's gaze had moved from the floor. Smiling, he gestured him over. He looked uncomfortable, so why not give a hand, right? Gokudera brushed passed the other three (one of which Tsuna finally recognized as the man named Mukuro and the other was the blond from this afternoon) without a word to them, ignoring their protests.

"Hello, Sawada _-san_ ," He greeted quietly, sitting beside the brunette.

"Hello, Gokudera _-san_ ," Tsuna smiled. "you don't have to call me that. Everyone just calls me Tsuna."

"Ah...Tsuna- _san_ , then..." Hayato nodded a bit, returning the smile just a little. His face turned slightly pink, and he added in a softer voice, "then...you can call me Hayato."

"Alright, Hayato- _kun_ ," Tsuna agreed. "Were you okay over there? You looked uncomfortable."

"Ah, you don't have to worry," - _I wonder if he speaks quietly all the time_ , Tsuna thought- "It happens...often."

"Eh, that's no good," He frowned, "If it bothers you, you shouldn't come here."

"Its...not that simple," Hayato faintly smiled, and it didn't take a genius to tell it was forced and sad, "I wish it was." Tsuna glanced over, seeing the three men that were bothering the silverette staring (Mukuro had the audacity to glare) at the both of them. When the silverette happened to look at the dance floor to spot Hibari with Takeshi, Tsuna shot them a dark glare, causing them to look away. Smiling in satisfaction, Tsuna looked back to the other.

"Hayato _-kun_ , it can be simple. Why don't we just get out of here?" He offered, tilting his head slightly. Gokudera blinked, more likely in surprise than anything else. His face turned pink, and he hesitantly nodded.

"S-sure."

"Okay," Tsuna smiled warmly and stood. He flagged down Takeshi, who brought along Hibari. "Hayato- _kun_ and I are going to leave. Its too stuffy in here," He told them.

"Eh? How are you going to get back?" Yamamoto frowned; he had driven both of them there. Tsuna shrugged,

"Walking."

"Are you fine with that?" Hibari asked Hayato, who gave a small, shy nod.

"I...I don't mind." Kyouya nodded, most likely in approval, and turned to Yamamoto.

"Let's go. They'll be fine."

"Yeah, alright," Takeshi said, a bit unsure, but smiled in good nature after a moment and said, "Well, Tsuna's got a lot of self-defense techniques under his belt. His brothers wouldn't let him leave the house until he learned them all."

"I had to stay in the house until I was fifteen...now I'm stuck in an apartment with all of them," Tsuna groaned, recalling his childhood days. He smiled though, when he saw Hayato chuckle and crack a small, but genuine smile.

"Be careful, okay?" Takeshi turned to head back to the dance floor with Kyouya, "text me when you get home."

"Alright, Mom," Tsuna teased, and led the silverette out of the bar, shooting one more death glare to the three men in the corner before cheerily leaving the establishment. The cool night air hit them both like a brick wall after being in the hot, poorly ventilated bar.

"Uhm..." Gokudera started, redirecting his gaze to the road. "So...where are we going?"

"I was thinking my apartment, if that's alright," Tsuna said sheepishly. "I don't want to force you though."

"Ah, no," Hayato stumbled for his words for a brief moment, and finally replied, "That's...good with me."

"Alright," Tsuna smiled. "It'll be about a forty minute walk from here." His companion nodded and so he began to lead the way. It was silent, and he couldn't help but note the nervous figure of the other, and how he was constantly trying to avoid eye contact with him.

"Uh..." The silverette jumped at his own words, though he was still communicating in that quiet voice.

"Yes?" The brunette asked patiently.

"Do you mind...if I...smoke? I can wait...if...if its a problem."

"No, go ahead. G _.-san_ smokes all the time. The only rule is not to smoke in the apartment," Tsuna told him, and he pulled out a carton of cigarettes. He lit one up silently, and stuffed his hands into his blazer, as if he was trying to shrink in on himself.

"Thanks..." He murmured. "Tsuna _-san_?"

"Yes?"

"...Did your brothers really keep you hostage in your house?" Tsuna couldn't help it. He laughed, and quite hard at that. He had to hold his sides, and Hayato ended up shooting him a deeply concerned look.

"No, no, not exactly," He began to explain once he could breathe again. "I was allowed out, but more often that not, one of them would come with me. No matter what. So, I wasn't allowed out alone until I was fifteen really."

"It sounds like they care a lot."

"Enough to buy an apartment big enough for four men in their twenties to live in." Tsuna chuckled, and smiled when the other couldn't help but smile himself. "I don't know whether to be grateful or to be irritated. Giotto _-nii_ is like a nagging mother, Reborn _-nii_ is a sadistic tutor, and Xanxus _-nii_ is the brother who just wants to get out of there." Hayato laughed softly, and Tsuna thought it was beautiful. That is, until Hayato caught himself and flushed.

"I'm sorry."

"No need to be." Tsuna sent him a reassuring smile.

"Tsuna- _san_...would you...mind telling me more about your family?" Tsuna blinked. He remembered hearing about Gokudera from his elder brothers, and wondered if his shy companion wanted to hear what a family was like. He himself knew not to ask the other about his family, especially with how reserved he seemed. Smiling warmly, Tsuna replied,

"Sure thing."

* * *

Finally, Tsuna and Gokudera had made it to the apartment. Both were freezing from the winter air and lack of proper winter clothing and Gokudera had obediently put out his second cigarette. Tsuna was satisfied that he had made Gokudera laugh several times and smile even more on the long walk. Entering the apartment, the brunette called,

"I'm back!" He glanced back to Hayato, who seemed to hesitate at the threshold. Reassuringly, he said, "Its okay; you're welcome to come in."

"Sorry for the intrusion," The silverette nearly whispered, and Tsuna took his jacket from him as he slipped off his worn sneakers.

"I'm freezing. Do you want a cup of coffee?" The brunette offered as they moved inside more; the heater was bliss.

"Ah...okay."

"Okay, this way then," Tsuna headed for the kitchen, stopping in the living room.

"Oh, Tsuna, that is you. I thought I heard your voice, though you're early tonight. Welcome back," Giotto turned from his position on the couch; the television was playing a horror movie. Reborn glanced up from his book, spotting the silverette almost immediately.

"Oh, its the _Chibi_ G.," He said, and Giotto suddenly looked at Hayato too. Tsuna could tell the stares were making him uncomfortable.

"Hey, Gokudera _-kun_. Its been a while," The blond smiled politely.

"Hi, Giotto- _san_ , Reborn- _san_ ," Hayato greeted softly. Tsuna gently and discreetly pushed Gokudera towards the kitchen, giving him a reassuring glance.

"We ran into each other, so we decided to come back here." He explained, and turned to head into the kitchen. Once inside, he began to make a pot of coffee, careful to stay away from Reborn's brand. He had learned enough times that touching it meant being shot at. "I'm sorry if they're making you uncomfortable."

"Ah, its fine...I'm the one intruding."

"You aren't intruding. I invited you over, okay? Don't worry about it," Tsuna admonished in a light tone as the other tentatively took a seat at the table. "How do you take your coffee?"

"Just black is fine," was the reclusive response. Tsuna frowned, sensing that his guest was trying not to be a bother and ask for as little as possible. Bless his intuition.

"You don't have to hold back. Nothing will be going to waste, so its fine if you want something in it." He smiled at the other, who squirmed and redirected his gaze. Attempting a different approach, he spoke, "I'll call G.- _san_ while he's at work and ask how you take your coffee."

Hayato flushed and his eyes widened; he opened his mouth, hesitated, and finally responded, "...cream."

Tsuna smiled wider, giving him a 'coming right up' and grabbing two empty mugs from a cabinet. It was silent as he made the two cups of scalding hot liquid, and he secretively glanced back once or twice. The silverette was glancing around, a bit unsure, and was fiddling with his hands, tapping a rhythm on the wooden table absently. Adding cream to both, and sugar to his (he didn't care what Reborn called him, bitter coffee tasted awful), he brought both mugs to the table, and sat at the opposite side of the other.

"Thank you," His companion dipped his head in thanks, and the brunette caught a small smile gracing the other's lips.

"You're very welcome, Hayato _-kun_ ," He replied, smiling himself and taking a deep drink. He pulled out his phone, and sent a text to Yamamoto like he said he would. No use in worrying the guy, who would run through the city to find him and would forget to call him like a regular person would. Then he'd finally remember he had a phone but would call Giotto instead, and Giotto (depending on whether or not he was home) would either laugh and tell him Tsuna was home, or freak out because he didn't know either. But, Giotto had a sane boyfriend, who would remind them both that they could just call Tsuna. And thus, the problem would be solved when he answered the phone and assured them _three_ times that he was fine and _not_ in any danger...

Tsuna glanced up when Hayato began to laugh quietly, hiding it behind his hands.

"Did I just say that out loud?" He asked, suspicious.

"You did...I'm sorry." The silverette couldn't help but chuckle, and he then moved to hide his grin behind his coffee mug.

"No need to be," Tsuna instantly stated, and mirrored his grin, "Its true though! They're so frantic over being protective and lose their common sense!"

"I see." Hayato took another sip of the coffee, and asked, still in his quiet voice, "What brand is this? Its good."

"Ah, I think its from Italy," Tsuna tilted his head slightly in thought, "Xanxus _-nii_ brought it back when he went on some trip. Next time he goes, I'll ask him to get extra for you, okay?"

"Eh?" Gokudera blinked, in surprise. "B-but-"

"Its fine. Hayato- _kun_ , we're already friends, right? Otherwise I wouldn't have invited you here. So its okay." Tsuna cut him off, giving him a stern look.

"Ah...o-okay." And Tsuna smiled.

* * *

Hayato eventually left for the night, in the company of G. when the redhead had come to visit after work. G. had been surprised at the other's presence, but had easily shrugged it off and took the silverette home with him when he left.

Tsuna sighed, leaning back in his desk chair. He fiddled with his phone; he had gotten the silverette to exchange numbers, so they could meet up again. It took so much persuasion and coaxing for the other to finally give in. The brunette frowned to himself. He didn't understand why Gokudera was so reserved and tried to refuse things as much as possible. Was he afraid of Tsuna? Or just people in general? He seemed okay with Hibari. Perhaps Tsuna would have to talk to Hibari or get Takeshi to.

_Ding._

Tsuna glanced down, spotting one message from Hayato. It was about testing the number, but there were so many dots and written out stuttering that he couldn't help but smile. He wrote back, letting the other know that _yes, it was Tsuna and thank you for testing the number_ and asking _do you want to hang out again sometime soon?_

His reply was instantaneous, which surprised him. The text was a simple 'okay' so Tsuna asked if he'd like to hang out at Takeshi's place, and that Hibari would be invited too, so it would be a group. The next response took a little longer, but he still got an affirmative.

Now all Tsuna had to do was ask Takeshi to let them all over. Well it wouldn't be hard. His puppy eyes were more effective than the other's were.

* * *

Tsuna sat in Yamamoto's living room, leaning back on the couch as he watched the baseball lover fidget in his seat. Raising an eyebrow, Tsuna asked,

"What's up with you?"

"I'm nervous."

"Why? It's just Hayato- _kun_ and Hibari- _san_." Tsuna bit back a laugh at his anxious friend. The last time his friend was this anxious was when he was waiting on the result of his entrance exams for college.

"Because Hibari is coming over! He's the first guy in forever where I haven't tried to 'hit it and quit it'!" Takeshi rambled, "I think I actually might _like, like_ him...and how did you even get him to come here?"

"Okay..." Tsuna grimaced (but nearly smiled a second later, considering the other couldn't even say the word 'love'), "First, never say 'hit it and quit it' again. That's creepy and I hate when you have one night stands. Second, I talked to Hayato- _kun_ and said Hibari- _san_ could come too. So he asked him for me. Just ask for the guy's number today."

"But Tsuna, he's the first guy I'm nervous to talk to. Its different in a club, but this is my apartment."

"Yamamoto, from what I understand of first impressions, this guy is aloof and quite closed off. The fact that you got him to dance with you willingly counts for something. So quit being nervous and be friendly and easy going like usual. I need someone to carry the conversations."

"Ah, Tsuna, you're such a life saver," Takeshi breathed with a smile, "you should be my therapist."

"I don't have enough patience for that," Tsuna retorted immediately. "Talk to Kyoko or Haru. The girls love hearing about our love lives." Yamamoto sighed, about to say something else, when the he heard knocking on his door.

"Coming!" He called, getting up and heading for the front door. Tsuna watched from his spot as the other opened the door, revealing Hibari and Gokudera, though the latter was almost hiding behind the former. "Hey guys, come in." Hibari nodded and Hayato gave a quiet 'sorry for intruding' as they came in.

"Hello Hibari- _san_ , Hayato- _kun_ ," The brunette greeted, smiling warmly. Kyoya grunted, but Hayato smiled slightly in return, sitting next to the brunette.

"Hey, Tsuna- _san_ ," He murmured back. "How...are you?"

"I'm okay, thank you," Tsuna answered, "and you?"

"Ah, okay, thanks for asking." Yamamoto bounded over as Hibari made himself comfortable in a chair.

"Hey," Yamamoto said with his hand out, "we never officially met, so I'm Yamamoto Takeshi."

"Gokudera Hayato," was the typical quiet response, though Hayato did shake his hand lightly. After that, Takeshi easily took control of the conversation. The talks had been comprised of things from sports to television shows. Hibari didn't participate much, but Yamamoto had gotten the other to talk as it was, and Gokudera did occasionally add in his thoughts to a subject, even if it wasn't much. At some point, Gokudera had left to use the bathroom and Takeshi went to grab a few more beers from the kitchen, so Tsuna had the chance to ask Hibari,

"Does...Hayato- _kun_ have a problem talking to people?" Hibari stared at him, probably trying to figure out his motives. Though, eventually he did respond,

"That's something for Gokudera to tell you." Though a moment later he added, "Have patience with him."

"Alright, I'll wait on that then," Tsuna conceded, especially with the hard look he was getting. Despite his insistence on not being friends with the silverette, Kyoya seemed to care a lot. Tsuna mentally sighed though, because he wouldn't be getting much out of the guy. As Takeshi returned, Tsuna decided to forget about it.

It would come eventually.

* * *

Tsuna didn't expect the 'eventually' to be half a month later. He was walking home with Gokudera, after hanging out with Takeshi and Hibari in a restaurant. Even though Gokudera was still talking in a low, soft tone, he was talking more than he did when they first met. He wasn't as hesitant as before to smile or laugh at something. He even got into a small argument with Yamamoto over sports. Tsuna was glad the other was opening up more, little by little, though he still wanted to know about the problems the silverette had.

"Oi, Hayato." Tsuna stopped when Hayato froze. The other paled and his jade eyes widened. The two turned around, spotting Mukuro, the blond from the one time, and the third male: a white-haired guy. Tsuna squinted at the third, as if he felt really familiar.

"...What?" Gokudera asked, unsure.

" _Shishishi_ ," The blond laughed. "Come on princess, its not fair to just ditch us all of a sudden."

"I didn't ditch you, Bel," The silverette frowned, involuntarily taking a step back. "Don't call me princess either."

" _Oya_ , I see we're back to having claws, little kitten," Mukuro smirked. "I'll have to de-claw you again."

"I don't...want to go anywhere with you. Any of you," Gokudera firmly stated, even shooting a glare.

"Haya- _chan_ ," The third cooed, "just because you saved this little brunette, doesn't give you the right to leave us like that."

Saved? Gokudera saved Tsuna...? Eh? Tsuna blinked and frowned, trying to remember. And then it hit him,

The white-haired guy was Byakuran; he was the one who drugged him.

Which meant Gokudera was the one who saved him...but why did he not say that at all?

Well, whatever. There were more pressing matters at hand. Tsuna stepped forward, placing an arm in front of the silverette and took care not to glance at his once assaulter.

"Leave him be. If he doesn't want you here, then go." He glared darkly at them.

"Tsuna- _san_..." Hayato stared in surprise.

"Oh, Tsunayoshi- _chan_ , we can't do that." Byakuran smiled. "He's ours."

" _He is not property_." Tsuna clenched his hands into fists. "I don't care what you thought of him before. He's not yours, and if you come near him again, I will hurt you."

" _Kufufufu_ , how interesting," Mukuro smirked once more. "I wonder how well you can hold that threat."

"Shishishi, Princess said the same thing. Did you know that he used to be loud and impatient? He even had the audacity to yell and threaten us. That all changed once he was ours, you know."

"Regardless, go away. Now." Tsuna growled.

"I don't think we will," Byakuran took one step forward.

All hell broke loose.

* * *

Tsuna stumbled into his apartment, Hayato right behind him. The silverette closed the door behind them as Tsuna turned on the lights. Both were covered in injuries. Tsuna bruised his ribs for sure, he had the graze of a small knife cut on his cheek, and he just knew there were bruise marks on his throat. Hayato had sprained his right wrist, his lip was split, and his upper arm and shoulder were cut by the same small knife.

"Tsuna- _san_ , this is all my fault..." Hayato's voice was full of guilt. Tsuna shook his head,

"Its not. I chose to help you out of my own free will. Sit on the couch." The brunette made sure the other complied before heading to the bathroom to grab the first aid kit (he was secretly glad that no one else was home right now). They had basically been in an all out brawl against the other three, but Tsuna and Hayato had managed to come out victorious. The three had many more injuries than they did. Heading back into the living room, he opened the kit and gently took the other's sprained wrist to start wrapping it.

"But...because of this, they're going to target you. They won't ever leave me alone...and now you'll get hurt," Hayato frowned. "If you get hurt because of me..."

"Its okay, Hayato- _kun_. Its not fair that they ganged up on you like that," Tsuna insisted. "Take off your shirt so I can take care of your arm and shoulder."

"Shouldn't your injuries be tended to first...?"

"They're fine," The brunette assured and the other tentatively removed his open crimson button-down shirt, leaving just his black singlet on. Tsuna took the disinfectant, rubbing it on the cut on the male's left bicep. Gokudera winced, so he murmured out a soft apology. Once that was taken care of, he did the same for the wound on the shoulder and then let Hayato rub away the blood on his mouth as he tended to his cheek. There wasn't much he could do about the bruises though, and he would have to wear something to cover his neck's bruise. He closed the first aid kit, and sat down beside the other, who still looked unsure. "Hayato- _kun_...Byakuran said that you saved me."

"Eh?" The silverette blinked. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, but eventually said... "you remember?"

"A little bit. I remember someone saving me. You yelled. That seems unlike you," Tsuna smiled, hoping to get one in return. He didn't.

"That was my fault too."

"Eh, how?"

"Even though I told them to stay away from you...they didn't listen and-"

"Wait, Hayato- _kun_. What do you mean by that?" Tsuna placed a hand on the other's, "Can you start with how you got involved with the three of them?"

"I...have made a lot of mistakes in the past. I was estranged from my family, so I've lived with G. since I was four or five. Even though he tried really hard to care for me, I still had a hard time fitting in...so I basically turned into a delinquent."

Tsuna wasn't sure where he was going with this, but didn't dare stop him.

"I, uh...met...or rather saw you once when I first got into college. It was...kind of love at first sight. But I didn't dare talk to you. I didn't know if you were gay, and you looked really happy, so I kept myself away from you, so you wouldn't be tainted by my existence."

Tsuna frowned. He was surprised at the confession. Still though, he kept silent and only rubbed soothing motion's on Hayato's cold hand.

"It was hard to...keep myself together, and then I met those three. I tried denying them so many times, but they eventually won out over me because I was _desperate_ for something. I...had sex with one of them a day, for over a year...but they noticed I kept watching you in college. They figured it out pretty quickly, but I said to stay away from you, because I had no intentions of getting to know you, even after I learned you were Giotto- _san_ 's little brother when G. told me once. They didn't care. They wanted you out of the picture, and Byakuran took the first opportunity when you showed up at the bar. I didn't know until I saw him basically drag you out of the place. I was so mad that I punched him and saved you. I panicked, and handed you back to Yamamoto."

"Hayato- _kun_ ," Tsuna tried to start. Yet, tears forming, the other continued,

"I'm sorry. Its my fault. You're in this mess with me, and I can't stop them. If I hadn't gone to talk to you that one time in the bar, or if I hadn't asked for G. to pick me up that day or if I just hadn't noticed you in the first place-"

"Hayato- _kun_!" Tsuna shouted, causing the other to wince. He raised a hand to wipe away the tears running down pale cheeks. "Its okay. Please, don't cry. Its okay. I don't care if they come after me. I don't care how much they want you back. I refuse to let you go back to that kind of life. There are people worried about you. Hibari- _san_ worries and G.- _san_ worries, and I worry about your well-being. You don't have to keep everything bottled inside. Let others help you." Damn it, Tsuna didn't want to lecture the other.

"But...I don't want to bother others with this...Its my problem."

"Hayato- _kun_. Friends and family are here for a reason. Okay?" Tsuna smiled warmly and pulled the other into a hug. "I'll help you through this. So will G.- _san_ , Hibari- _san_ , and Yamamoto. Giotto- _nii_ , and Reborn- _nii_...and maybe even Xanxus- _nii_ will help too. Don't think you're alone on this."

"Tsuna- _san_..." Hayato sobbed, clutching onto the brunette's shirt and burying his face into the other's neck. "How...can you say that so normally...? I even told you my feelings and yet you..."

"Its not like I'm rejecting you, Hayato- _kun_ ," Tsuna made circles on the other's back with his hand. It was true, that he had grown exceptionally fond of the silverette during their time together. It wasn't just in a friendship way either. "I...feel the same way you know?"

"You...you do?" Gokudera sounded so hopeful that Tsuna couldn't help but smile.

"Yes, I do. So don't think for a minute that you're going to burden me with your feelings." Hayato didn't respond; he just hugged the other tighter. Tsuna only returned the gesture silently, letting the other release every tear he kept hidden this whole time.

* * *

In the next morning, Tsuna woke up next to Gokudera in his bed. Rather than send the silverette home, he let him stay the night. They had a mini debate on where each of them would sleep, but the brunette won and both slept in his bed. Gazing with pure brown eyes, Tsuna watched the other sleep peacefully. Despite the slight puffiness of the other's eyes and the split lip, he looked like it was the best sleep in forever. Tsuna brushed away some silver locks from his face, and he stirred quietly. His eyes slowly fluttered open, and looked at him half-asleep.

"Tsuna- _san_...good morning..." He murmured.

"Morning, Hayato- _kun_ ," Tsuna smiled. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes...thank you," Gokudera sat up, and Tsuna followed shortly after, getting up to look in the mirror (he ignored the hurtful sting of the bruises on his ribs). The bruises on his neck were more prominent than last night. Fantastic. "...Are you okay?"

"I'm alright. Are you?" Tsuna turned around, watching the other get out of the bed. "How's your wrist?"

"It'll be okay," Hayato assured and walked up to the other. "...I'm more concerned about how your brothers will take the bruises."

"I think I have a turtleneck somewhere buried deep in my closet," Tsuna absently responded, running a thumb over the silverette's lip, who flushed in turn. "It'll be fine." He smiled, and turned to open his closet. "I can lend you clothes too. You're not taller than me by that much."

"Eh, you don't have to-"

"I want to, and that's what matters," Tsuna told him, determined to get the other out of being like that. He pulled out a pair of jeans, a gray-shirt, and a black hoodie. "Here. These are all a bit too big for me. So they should be alright."

"Thank you, Tsuna- _san_." Hayato smiled slightly.

"You don't have to add a honorific if you don't want to. The '- _san_ ' makes me feel old," Tsuna laughed, "If its fine, I can just call you Hayato in return."

"Okay...Tsu...Tsuna," Hayato nodded, and the brunette smiled brightly. Tsuna wanted them to be closer, especially since they shared the same feelings for each other. Turning back to his closet, Tsuna found his black turtleneck sweater (an odd gift from his mother at Christmas), and pulled out whatever else he needed. Both of them changed, facing away from one another at Hayato's request (and, well, Tsuna didn't want him to see the bruise anyway) and then silently left Tsuna's room. They followed the sounds coming from the kitchen, finding only Xanxus and Squalo. Odd...did Giotto leave already?

"Good morning, Xanxus- _nii_ ," Tsuna greeted, "Squalo- _san_."

"Yo, Tsunayoshi," Squalo responded, looking up from the pan on the stove. Xanxus grunted something along the lines of 'morning.' Tsuna rolled his eyes with a slight smile. He never understood why Squalo always cooked breakfast for the other, even though he was technically the guest. Tsuna looked at Gokudera, waving him in once he noticed the other was hesitating. Gokudera quietly entered, but stood off to the side. Shaking his head, Tsuna grabbed the pot of coffee and made two cups, handing one off to the silverette.

"Who is that?" Xanxus bluntly asked once he noticed.

"Gokudera Hayato. G.- _san_ 's cousin," Tsuna introduced. "Hayato, this is Xanxus- _nii_. And over there is Superbi Squalo- _san_."

"Did you shack up with him?" Ah, Xanxus was so subtle.

"Did you get into an actual relationship with Squalo- _san_?" Tsuna replied without missing a beat. He smiled at the flushing Hayato, before noting the pink on Squalo's cheeks and the faint tint of red on Xanxus' own.

"Shut it trash," Xanxus said, thus confirming Tsuna's suspicion.

"Well, I didn't 'shack up with him'. Come on Hayato, we can get breakfast down the street. And then I need to call Yamamoto, because he's probably having a heart attack wondering why I never sent him a text last night."

"Alright," The silverette nodded, downing the coffee as Tsuna did. Both mugs were placed in the sink and Tsuna took care to remember to grab his wallet and phone on the way out.

"Have fun playing house, you lovey-dovey couple!" He shouted as they left. He heard Squalo's 'VOI' behind the closed door and laughed. As soon as the two made their way to the street and down the sidewalk, Tsuna let out a small sigh.

"What's wrong?" Hayato asked.

"Its a good thing that Giotto- _nii_ and Reborn- _nii_ weren't there. They would have pointed out the bandage on my cheek and your bandaged wrist and split lip," Tsuna stated. "I'd rather they not freak out first thing in the morning. Anyway, I need to call Yamamoto and reassure him that I'm not dead."

Hayato couldn't help but smile.

* * *

"Tsuna, are you okay?" Takeshi asked the very second he entered the small cafe, dragging a half-asleep Kyoya behind him. They sat across from Tsuna and Hayato, and Takeshi was scanning them with critical eyes.

"I told you I'm fine. I forgot to text you is all," Tsuna assured with a bright smile, and distracted himself with the waitress when she came over. She took each of their orders, though Takeshi picked the first thing he saw and ordered whatever for Hibari.

"Are you sure?" The baseball lover spoke once their waitress walked away.

"Yes."

"...Why are you wearing that turtleneck?"

"Because its cold."

"You hate that turtleneck. In fact, you hate turtlenecks in general. Also, what's with the bandage on your face?"

"Stop badgering him," Kyouya finally stated, pulling on the other's ear. "He's fine, so shut up. You woke me up for no reason."

"Ow ow ow ow, Kyouya, that _hurts_!" Yamamoto flailed.

"Idiot..." Hayato murmured, burying his face into his hoodie to avoid showing his mouth, "Hibari hates being woken up."

"Yamamoto, why did you drag him if he was sleeping?" Tsuna sighed, wondering just when did the two of them got together. He didn't remember Takeshi announcing it to him or their friends. Secret perhaps? Though it was hard to be secretive when he would have to explain why he dragged Hibari with him unless they were in the same bed.

"I was worried."

"Gokudera, stop shrinking in on yourself," Hibari ordered suddenly, sending a pointed glare at the silverette.

"I'm not shrinking in on myself," Hayato protested, and did not move. "I'm cold." Hibari narrowed his eyes, and for a brief second, Tsuna thought they were found out. He knew it was hypocritical for them to hide it even after he told Hayato to tell people about big problems, but for the moment, they didn't want to worry them. It was a bit too early in the morning for talks of people assaulting them. The skylark turned away from the two of them, settling for looking out the glass window pane. Finally, silence took over, and their breakfast finally arrived.

They all ate in silence, though Takeshi was still sending the brunette worried glances. Tsuna purposely ignored them all, and bode his time shoving mouthfuls of eggs passed his lips. Hayato took care to angle his face to hide his injuries from Hibari, who would spot them in an instant, and used his uninjured hand to eat. Once the four were done, Yamamoto and Tsuna split the bill, despite Gokudera's protests to pay for himself (Hibari remained indifferent to the matter, but did pick up the tip).

Well, Tsuna thought as he departed from the restaurant with the silverette and away from the other two, that was one crisis adverted.

* * *

And apparently, not all crisis can be avoided. Tsuna glanced at his phone, as he and his recent companion sat in the living room of the apartment alone, as Xanxus and Squalo had disappeared somewhere for the day. His cell phone was ringing extra loudly, as if it was converting the worry of the person calling into a ringtone. Giving a sigh, Tsuna picked up the phone, putting it on speaker.

"Yes?"

"Tsuna!" Giotto's voice carried through. "Do you know where Gokudera- _kun_ is?" Hayato frowned, and Tsuna raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, he's with me right now. What's wrong?"

"Ah, thank god. G. never got any text or call from him last night or this morning, so he was freaking out thinking that something happened to him." Hayato flushed, pulling out his phone, which politely informed him that it was on silent and that he had five missed calls and ten text messages.

"Well, he's alright," Tsuna glanced at the other's phone and then the silverette himself. "Right?"

"Y-yea...sorry for worrying you." Hayato stuttered out.

"Its fine with me, I suppose. But what were you doing that you didn't call or text him? You always let him know where you are." Giotto sighed. "Anyway, I'm on my way home. Work let out early."

"A-ah, okay. See you then."

"See you." The phone clicked, and the two glanced at each other. Well shit. The only way it could get worse was if Reborn was coming home too. As Gokudera hastily sent a text to his cousin with an apology and his current status (I'm alive, were the exact words), the door opened.

"I'm back."

It just _had_ to be Reborn.

* * *

And now, both sat in the living room, being stared down by Reborn, Giotto, _and_ Xanxus (who came home at Giotto's call) while Squalo (who tagged along) and G. (who decided to wisely keep his mouth quiet for the moment) stood off to the side to watch. Hayato was very nicely staring off to the side; he was leaning forward, his elbow propped on his knee and his hand covering his mouth in a nonchalant way while it propped up his head. Tsuna was leaning back, staring at the ceiling like it was the most interesting thing in the world, and fidgeting ever so slightly at the critical stares. Curse Reborn for noticing right away.

"So...Tsuna, care to share why you have bruises on your neck?" Giotto smiled (and it wasn't that nice smile either. It was that 'you better tell me or I'll beat you up' smile that made all his younger brothers shiver).

"What bruises?" The brunette asked innocently and immediately winced when Reborn pulled at his turtleneck.

"How about the ones that look like a fucking _hand print_?" Reborn growled and whirled on Hayato, "And you! Why did you let this happen to him?"

"Oi! Leave him alone!" Tsuna retorted instantly when the silverette shrank in on himself. G. snarled from the side, "that's my cousin you're yelling at."

"He's the reason you have these bruises and that cut on your cheek," Reborn poked the brunette in the ribs, causing him to hiss painfully. "And this bruise here."

"Its not his fault damn it!" Tsuna grabbed his brother's wrist. "So leave him out of it."

"I'm sorry," Hayato murmured into his hand, "...you know its my fault."

"I already told you it wasn't! Reborn- _nii_ is just being a dick because I got hurt!" Tsuna turned to the other and explained in a softer tone, "I already said it was my choice."

"Please, Tsuna, just tell us what happened," Giotto frowned, crossing his arms. Tsuna turned his head stubbornly, intent on not sharing until everyone calmed down. He crossed his arms, and frowned. Hayato had curled in on himself, most likely uncomfortable with too many people looking at them. Reborn opened his mouth once more,

"Son of a-"

"Xanxus," Giotto interrupted the other. The eldest brother pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation; Reborn was getting out of hand. "...Xanxus, why didn't you notice this morning when you saw Tsuna?"

"I saw. I just didn't say anything," Xanxus shrugged indifferently.

"Ah, now that I think about it," Squalo piped up, finally breaking his surprising silence, "Didn't the little silver brat have a split lip or something?"

"Hayato," G. said out of sheer surprise as his cousin flinched. The redhead trotted closer to the other, crouching down. He sighed quietly, "Let me see..." Hesitantly, Gokudera raised his head, but refused to look at anyone. G. frowned, looking at the injury. "Where else are you hurt?"

"N-nowhere," The silverette lied, "Tsuna got more hurt than I did." The brunette frowned, but accepted it. His intuition told him the silverette didn't want any more attention than this already. During the small conversation, Reborn had calmed down enough to sit himself in a chair and diminish his murderous aura, and Xanxus had taken the other with Squalo sitting on one of the arm rests. Giotto sat down next to Tsuna, and G. moved next to Hayato, discreetly inspecting for more injuries.

"Okay, Tsuna," Giotto began as calmly as possible. "We now know that both you and Hayato are injured on various degrees, so please tell us what exactly happened."

Tsuna frowned, glancing at Hayato. Slightly fearful jade eyes stared back, but the silverette gave a small nod anyway. So, Tsuna explained. He talked about the three men that constantly harassed Gokudera, how he was drugged by Byakuran and how he was saved by Gokudera, how the three confronted Hayato in the street with Tsuna there, and even though he told them to leave, how they got into a large fight anyway where Tsuna promptly fought them alongside his companion and won despite their minor injuries. He did leave out why they drugged him in the first place and how it was because they were most likely jealous of him for gaining Gokudera's attention. Each of the older men sat in silence taking the information in. Tsuna discreetly scooted closer to Hayato, placing his hand over the other's own and squeezing gently. Hayato glanced over, and then to their hands, returning the gesture.

"Hayato, why didn't you say something sooner?" G. broke the silence first. Tsuna had to wonder how much G. had known prior to this, considering how many times he picked Hayato up from random houses and worried every time he didn't know where the younger male was.

"I...was scared...to tell you," Hayato quietly answered, "I...didn't want to bother you...with my problems when you're the only family member left that cares."

"Hayato, you know I care, so you shouldn't have to hesitate to tell me when there is something wrong. Do you know how long I've been worried about you?"

"I'm sorry..." G. sighed, and placed a hand in silver locks, ruffling them affectionately.

"Tsuna, how long did you plan on keeping this from us?" Giotto frowned, glancing to his youngest brother.

"I didn't. I just wasn't going to share right away. We were going to tell you, and then Reborn- _nii_ threw a tantrum," Tsuna said matter-of-factually, and Reborn snorted. "I didn't want either of you flipping out over my small injuries before I could tell you."

"Hah..." Giotto breathed. "Anyway, the fact remains that I have three asses to kick for hurting my little brother and Gokudera- _kun_."

"Three asses to kill is more like it," Reborn muttered.

"Stupid trash," Xanxus grunted.

"Tsunayoshi, what were their names again?" Squalo questioned, crossing his arms in thought.

"Ah, Mukuro, Bel, and Byakuran?" Tsuna responded a bit unsure.

"Rokudo Mukuro, Belphegor, and Millefiore Byakuran," Hayato frowned.

"Belphegor...Bel. Don't we have someone like that at work?" Squalo thought aloud and looked down to Xanxus. The man scowled, and then after a brief moment, growled.

"I will kill him."

"Murder is illegal," Tsuna reminded with a sigh. Well that explained where one of them was. Well, he figured they could find them at the bar if anything.

* * *

Tsuna frowned, leaning back against the wall of his bedroom as he sat on his bed. He was currently under "house arrest" (according to Giotto and Reborn anyway) and had Xanxus as his 'security guard.' Gokudera was no longer by his side. G. had discovered the rest of his injuries when his arm was grabbed, even though it was gentle, and he winced. G. promptly decided to drag his cousin to their doctor friend (Shamal, Tsuna believed his name was) and then would bring him back to the apartment. In the meantime, Tsuna was left to his own devices, though he felt more like a prisoner and in his childhood again.

With this time to himself, Tsuna could think more about his feelings for Hayato. It had literally been a day since he heard of Hayato's confession (even though it was in a ramble full of guilt and worry), but he knew it was quite honest. Why else would the two of them be in this mess? Tsuna had known his feelings for the silverette had been growing since they first met, from that of a friend to something more romantically-inclined. He loved being able to talk to the other and getting him to smile or laugh. Gokudera's laugh was hard to describe. It wasn't like the small chuckles or snickers Tsuna got when they were around Takeshi and Hibari. It was melodic and warm. The brunette had only heard that laugh once, but he loved it all the same.

Truth be told, Tsuna loved Hayato's small habits as well. He liked to tap rhythms on any kind of surfaces, be it a table or his leg. When he smoked, he always alternated, without fail, which hand he used to light up the cigarette. Whenever he was embarrassed, he looked to the bottom right to avoid someone's gaze. If he was nervous, he looked to the upper left.

Tsuna blinked. Wow he really knew a lot. Smiling to himself, he had the simple thought that Hayato was just cute in his own right, but also knew how to hold his own if push came to shove (pushing passed his insecurities), like during the fight. Tsuna knew he would have had a lot more injuries if his companion hadn't covered his back more than once.

"Tsuna, I'm back." The brunette turned his head, spotting the silverette in his thoughts open his bedroom door and hesitantly step inside.

"Welcome back, Hayato," Tsuna smiled, patting the spot beside him. "How are your injuries?"

"T-they're alright," Hayato stuttered as he joined Tsuna on the bed. "Your bruises?"

"They'll heal," Tsuna shrugged, running a hand on his exposed neck (there really wasn't a point in hiding them now, and he hated that turtleneck anyway). "What did that doctor say?"

"Shamal," Gokudera specified and then sighed, "The stupid pervert told me not to agitate the wounds and then lectured my ear off."

Tsuna laughed, earning a confused look. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I've ever heard you badmouth someone before."

"Ah," The other said in realization. "I...guess not." Tsuna smiled, taking hold of the silverette's hand, who undoubtedly blushed pink.

"Want to get some sleep?"

"Y-yeah, okay." was the rushed response and Tsuna couldn't help but smile wider. He pulled the other down with him, encasing him protectively with his arms. Hayato stiffened, but relaxed after a moment (most likely he was reassuring himself that it was just Tsuna, and not those three asshats) and buried his face into the brunette's neck. The brunette himself pressed a light kiss to the other's forehead, who only responded with arms wrapping themselves around Tsuna.

Tsuna would love the warmth that came from the other male from then on.

* * *

Tsuna, honest to god, could not figure out where he was. His head was pounding, his thoughts were hazy, and his body felt like lead. He vaguely recalled going out to grab something from a convenience store with Hayato a week after the fight incident. They were trusted to go, just barely, because they figured nothing would happen in broad daylight. Apparently, everyone was wrong.

" _Nng_..." He groaned, trying to curl in on himself only to find that he couldn't. His arms were bound above him, by something that felt like rope, to what felt like a metal beam. He leaned his head back, letting the cool metal meet the back of his neck. His skin felt like it was burning up, on fire even. He cracked open his tired eyes, only to the point where they were half-lidded. It took a moment to focus, but he took in the scenery to be an abandoned warehouse or some kind of storage facility that was in the less-than-okay part of the city. The ground was dirty and dusty, various pieces of trash littering the concrete ground. The windows up high were broken and covered with rotting pieces of wood; graffiti covered the walls.

" _Kufufufufu_ , I see our guest of honor is finally awake." Tsuna turned his head, spotting Mukuro looking down at him with an eerie smirk on his face.

"Oh, finally? I was just getting impatient," Byakuran smiled, popping a marshmallow into his mouth. "You shouldn't keep people waiting, Tsunayoshi-chan."

" _Shishishishi_ , finally the Prince can play with his Princess," Belphegor snickered. Tsuna's eyes widened a fraction, seeing the despicable blond sitting on Hayato, who looked lifeless. The only way Tsuna knew he was awake was because those jade eyes stared at him guiltily, like it was all his fault. Tsuna tried to shake his head to reassure the other, but instead, he found himself in a searing kiss with Mukuro. He jerked, managing to pull his head back with a snarl.

"Now then, I suppose we should reteach our little kitten that trying to get away is unacceptable," Mukuro smirked, grabbing the brunette's chin.

"Ah, how unfair. You two get to have all the fun and I only get to keep watch." Byakuran chimed, shoving another marshmallow passed his lips as he disappeared out the door.

" _Shishishi_ , you lost rock-paper-scissors, get over it," The blond snickered, flipping Hayato so he laid on his back. Bel flicked a knife out from his sleeve, swiftly cutting off the long-sleeved shirt the pinned male wore.

"S-stop," Hayato protested and thrashed weakly. "Leave him alone, please." Bel pinned his wrists above his head.

"No can do, kitten," Mukuro purred, unbuttoning the buttons of Tsuna's shirt, "Otherwise you won't learn." Tsuna scowled darkly, attempting to kick the other to no avail. His body wasn't listening to him. Stupid, motherfucking drugs.

"Leave Hayato alone already, you stupid fuck," He growled out. He hated swearing, but at this point, he wanted to beat the shit out of these assholes. "You can't own him like some pet."

"On the contrary, little Tsunayoshi," Mukuro said airily, placing his hands on the other's sides (and Tsuna tried not to shiver), "We can. We've been doing it for so long already. Why stop now? Because he finally got to spend time with the love of his life? I don't think so. Once you're out of the picture, he'll be ours once again, and this time, we'll make sure he stays broken."

"No!" Hayato shouted, eyes wide. He winced painfully when Bel pinched one of his nipples harshly. "F-fuck."

"Hayato," Tsuna yelled, completely worried.

"You should be watching yourself, Tsunayoshi," Mukuro reminded and slipped a hand into the brunette's pants. Tsuna gasped, squirming when the other grasped his member. "It'll be fun watching you shatter."

"Bastard," Tsuna ground out, turning his head away to keep his assaulter from kissing him. Mukuro forcefully grabbed his chin, kissing him hard enough for their teeth to clash. Tsuna attempted to pull away to no avail; his head hit the solid metal beam just as Mukuro shoved a tongue into his mouth and squeezed his cock. Mukuro's other hand pinched one of Tsuna's exposed nipples, causing him to thrash about once more. He glared at the pineapple bastard, managing to glance at Hayato.

The silverette was gasping and writhing as tears spilled from his face. Bel had one hand running his knife teasingly down the bare chest and the other holding the wrists of his captive. Bel shoved a knee to the other's crotch, causing the other to bite back a moan. The blond grinned, bringing his head down to bite on bare skin, hard enough to bleed.

"Your attention is wavering, Tsunayoshi," Mukuro nearly sang, scraping his nails against the brunette's torso. Tsuna turned his glare full force on Mukuro, trying to kick him once more. He gritted his teeth as Mukuro pulled down his pants, boxers and all, and lifted his hips up. His assaulter released his erection from his own pants, and placed it right at Tsuna's entrance, no preparation or anything. His chocolate eyes widened, and his hands clenched into painful fists.

"Don't you-" Tsuna was cut off by his own shout of pain, hearing Hayato's yell at the same time.

_It fucking hurt._

He could feel his entrance tearing and bleeding at the forceful entry that fully sheathed Mukuro's hard on in the first thrust. He was blinded by the pain that he didn't even feel Mukuro begin moving, pounding in again and again. He managed a glance at Hayato, who had been flipped onto his back but experiencing the same torture. Tears gathered in the corners of Tsuna's eyes, threatening to spill over just as Hayato's had already done. He clenched his jaw, ignoring the laughter of Mukuro and Bel as they fully raped their victims.

Tsuna breathed heavily for air, trying to ignore such an intense pain, as his consciousness wavered several times. He was beginning to think it would never end...

...and the door suddenly burst open. All actions froze, and Tsuna could barely make out all of his brothers, in addition to G., Squalo, and even Yamamoto and Hibari. Xanxus dragged in a bloody and unconscious Byakuran and dropped him on the floor. Each of the males took in the scene, all but noticing Tsuna's and Hayato's tears and prone forms, with their assaulters hanging over them.

The last thing Tsuna was able to think before finally giving into the pain and blacking out, was that those seven protective men were about to commit a murder.

Well, karma was a bitch.

* * *

The next time Tsuna woke up was in a hospital bed, surrounded by white washed walls. He felt surprisingly numb as he laid on his stomach, but maybe that was some painkillers or morphine at work. He wasn't entirely sure. After a moment, he was able to make out the sleeping form of Hayato as he slept in the bed next to him, in the same position. The brunette sighed. If they were here, then everything was probably right again.

"Tsuna, you're awake!" Tsuna turned his head, spotting Takeshi on the other side of the bed, sitting in a chair. "Thank god you're okay."

"Yamamoto," Tsuna greeted tiredly. "who's in jail for killing them?" Yamamoto stared at him for a few moments, but then began to laugh. Of course, that would be the first thing Tsuna wanted to know.

"N-nobody's in jail. We didn't kill them, just _severely injured_ them," Takeshi spoke once his laughter calmed. "Kyouya is the head of the Disciplinary Committee that's connected to the police, so he took them to the police station to, as he said, 'inflict further punishment' or something."

"Did you know Hibari-san had police connections?"

"Yes, of course. That's why Giotto- _san_ called me, to get Kyouya to help out." Takeshi nodded. "Anyway, how are you feeling?"

"Tired...and kind of numb. I'm assuming I shouldn't attempt to move though."

"You shouldn't," Yamamoto confirmed, "we're at some private clinic that G.- _san_ knows, by the way. Your brothers are out picking up food to bring back here. Squalo- _san_ went to work, and G.- _san_ is taking a nap in another room, because he had been working all day prior to this."

"So...how bad off are we?" Tsuna frowned, crossing his arms underneath his head for comfort.

"Hmm, it's gonna take a while to heal, I think the doc said. It looked worse than it was though, so its not terrible."

"Two weeks," A new voice said grumpily as they entered the room. He looked irritated, and scratched at his unruly brown hair, which oddly looked similar to Hayato's hairstyle. For some reason, Tsuna had a suspicion that this man was Shamal, especially considering what Takeshi had informed him of. "Do not sit on your butt for two weeks. You can move after two days, but until then, I don't want you leaving the bed unless its for emergencies."

"Thank you..." Tsuna left the statement hang.

"Shamal," The doctor said, confirming the brunette's assumption. "I hate treating men, especially this punk over here." Shamal said, despite the fond and slightly worried look he was giving Hayato. "If it weren't for so many of you jerks ganging up on me, I wouldn't have treated you." Tsuna could tell it was a lie, but let the statement pass anyway.

"Well thank you, anyway, Shamal- _sensei_. I truly appreciate this," Tsuna smiled. Shamal grunted and left the room (he was probably just doing a quick check) just as Giotto, Reborn and Xanxus returned.

"Tsuna, are you alright?" Giotto asked at once, speedily rushing over. It took a little time for Tsuna to reassure all of his brothers that he was doing just fine. Giotto eventually left to go to sleep in the room with G. and Reborn left after claiming he had work. Xanxus was the last of them to leave, but reminded Tsuna nonchalantly that there would be plenty of training after all this was over. Takeshi left for the night a few hours after that, letting the brunette know that he was going to let Kyouya know about Gokudera and his health status. He also let Tsuna know that none of their friends knew, as to keep it quiet and keep them from flipping out, much to Tsuna's gratefulness.

Soon enough, the lights went out, and Tsuna found himself falling back asleep with only the moonlight streaming through the windows illuminating the room. That is, until his companion shifted slightly with a small groan. He started to move to sit up.

"You shouldn't get up," Tsuna softly told the other. Hayato jumped at the voice, but stayed where he was, laying back down completely, and turning his head to look at the brunette. The moonlight almost made his skin glow. "How are you feeling?"

"...Okay...tired," Hayato murmured, "are you okay?"

"I'll be alright."

"Tsuna, I'm sorry. I'm the one who-"

"Hayato," Tsuna cut him off, and shot him a warm smile, "I already told you that it was my choice to get involved in this. Don't beat yourself up over this, okay?"

"O-okay," Hayato nodded slightly, though he still looked unsure. Tsuna wanted to get up and lay beside the other, to comfort him without the use of words. Ah, fuck it. He'll take the reprimands later; he considered an upset Hayato an emergency. Shifting, Tsuna slowly pushed himself up, and off the bed without ever once sitting. "T-Tsuna!"

"It's fine," Tsuna smiled, walking shakily over to the other bed, using the walls as a guide. He ignored the numbed aches and pains, and climbed in beside the silverette. He laid down on his belly, and grasped Hayato's hand with his own, gently intertwining their fingers as Hayato subtly scooted over to give him more room. Tsuna smiled at him, reassuringly, and got a small smile in return.

Quietly, both fell asleep to the sounds of each other's heartbeats.

* * *

Tsuna smiled to himself, dropping a cardboard box onto the hardwood floor of his newly obtained apartment. Two years had passed since that day, and so much had happened. He secured a job in a company called Vongola Corporation, where he acted as one of the managers to a branch. It was pretty liberal when it came to his working hours, and the money wasn't bad either.

"Tsuna, it that everything?" The brunette turned, spotting Hayato come out of the bedroom.

"It is," Tsuna answered, pecking a kiss to the other's lips. "Finally, I'm officially out of the apartment of my brothers."

"Well," Hayato laughed softly, "I think its hard for seven men to fit into an apartment. G. was already practically living there, and Squalo- _san_ was starting to as well. Its a good thing Giotto- _san_ and G. moved to their own apartment."

"Xanxus- _nii_ and Squalo- _san_ got their own apartment as well, somewhere downtown," Tsuna added, "Reborn- _nii_ didn't want such a large apartment, so he sold it off and got himself a bachelor's pad in the upper city." Moving to the multiple boxes, he crouched down to start unloading them.

"The baseball idiot and Hibari are coming over tonight, aren't they?" Hayato asked, kneeling beside the other to help.

"Yes, and unfortunately," Tsuna chuckled, "Ryohei and everyone else are coming too."

"Ah, the lawn head..." Gokudera pursed his lips. He had finally met the friends the year before, and he was surprised at how readily they accepted him into the group. The brunette shook his head with a smile.

"I hope they don't break anything. This stuff is all new." Tsuna sighed and stared at the instruction manual for installing the television. Maybe he could skip that for later.

"They'll be paying for it if they do," Hayato finished taking out various decorative objects from the box and began placing them onto the shelves and stands around the living room. Tsuna moved into the kitchen, unpacking various cups, pots, pans, plates, and bowls and placed them into several cabinets.

"I'll make sure to keep the receipts around then," Tsuna quipped, and put away the utensils he found in the box. Thankfully, they didn't have many kitchen items just yet, so he was done in a flash. "So, do you want to unpack the bedroom or install the television and cable box."

"Uhh..." Hayato flushed, putting down the last item; it was a photo of him (blushing, unfortunately) and Tsuna (smiling and leaning against the silverette) at a restaurant that had been taken by a teasing Giotto. "I was thinking about the bedroom...just not unpacking the things in there."

"Oh," Tsuna smirked, walking over to the other and wrapping his arms around the man's waist. He looked up into jade eyes and asked, "Is there something else you had in mind?" Tsuna waited patiently, as a red tint overcame his lover, and Gokudera finally found his words again.

"...We could break in the bed."

Tsuna grinned, leading Hayato by the hand into the bedroom with a nod as his reply. As he pulled the silverette in and kicked the door shut, and brought the other down on the bed with him in a heated kiss, Tsuna smiled happily at the turn of actions.

Well...it would be fine as long as they got cleaned up before everyone else got there.

* * *

_Fin._


	2. Disperato (Gokudera)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ever since he was four, he was left alone like a black sheep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be a few repeats of scenes, obviously, but with Gokudera's thoughts and emotions portrayed rather than Tsuna's.

Ever since he was four, he was left alone like a black sheep. His father hardly saw him, talking to him was even rarer, and spent most of his time at work. His mother was dead, recently too, and much to his horror, he didn't even realize that his piano teacher was his mother all along. His step mother was horrible to him, often shunning him and sending him away to different places and hoping he didn't return. His older sister (half sister, he reminded himself bitterly) rarely tried to talk to him, and even if she did, it was to force him to try her cooking, which always ended up with him nearly dying of food poisoning.

It wasn't until he was six that he moved to Japan. His older cousin, G., (older by six years, he believed) tried to include him with his friends, Giotto and his younger brother Reborn, but his aunt (G.'s mother) often made sure he was stuck inside for something, whether it be schoolwork or household chores. He didn't understand why he was forced to work really hard on homework when he was acing all his tests anyway. He'd end up in fights, though, because the kids hated that he was foreign, _different_ , but he proved them wrong by beating them to a bloody pulp. Apparently, that was frowned upon.

G. would drag him to a doctor friend, Shamal, much to his and Shamal's chagrin. Shamal bitched about only treating women, but would patch him up anyway. G. often scolded him about fighting, but it wasn't like the redhead could talk when he often got into fights himself over his hair ("It's not pink!" G. would say vehemently). He knew that his cousin cared for his well being though, so he tried not to get into too many fights as he got older. Eventually, he saw less and less of G. and more and more of the dull-colored walls of whoever he slept with that day.

He wasn't even sure when it began, especially considering his foul mouth and explosive temper (literally. G. still never knew how he got his hands on dynamite that one time).

* * *

Finally, a little after he turned twenty, he encountered _them_ for the first time. He was finally able to enter clubs and bars without a hitch, and he exploited that fact mercilessly. He was getting tired of sleeping with guys from his high school, and he didn't have enough social skills to start seducing men at the college he recently enrolled in.

" _Oya_ , who might you be?" A voice asked, amused, and caught his attention. Turning his head slightly, he took in the sight of a male...was that pineapple hair?

"None of your business, pineapple," He spat, sipping on his beer. "Off you go." On a normal day, perhaps he would have considered it, but the vibes of this man were creeping him out, and he wanted none of that. The man seemed like the possessive type, and he wasn't one to get pulled into that kind of shit. He steered clear of it whenever he could.

" _Shishishi_ , you got rejected, Mukuro," A second man joined in. This one had blond hair that covered his eyes. Pineapple, or rather, Mukuro, he supposed, frowned at the blond.

"Bel, do you wish to die?" Mukuro asked the other...Bel, according to Mukuro. Bel, however, ignored the other and turned back to him.

"Neh, cutie, do you want to come with the Prince?" Bel asked him with a large grin. He, however, felt the same vibes as Mukuro and answered,

"No. Get lost." Bel and Mukuro exchanged surprised looks (or at least Bel seemed surprised; it was hard to tell with the eyes hidden) before looking back to him.

" _Kufufufu_ , I see this kitten has claws. Let's start over, then. My name is Rokudo Mukuro. And you?" Though put off, he begrudgingly replied,

"Gokudera Hayato." Bel snickered,

"I'm the Prince, Belphegor. Make sure to bow down to me Princess." Gokudera snorted, and ignored the both of them. Or at least, he tried when yet another male jumped in.

"Oh, who do we have here?" The white-haired newcomer asked with an eerie smile.

"Gokudera Hayato- _kun_ ," Mukuro told the other.

"Oh, Hayato- _chan_ then. Millefiore Byakuran, at your service. Why don't we ditch these two and head off somewhere?" The man, Byakuran, grinned despite the other two's indignant protests. Hayato, however, could care less, especially at the same possessive demeanor the three seemed to share. He was a pitcher damn it, and he refused to be their "catch."

"No. To all of you. Now go the hell away before I kick your ass," He threatened, downing the rest of his beer and standing. He ignored the shocked and disgruntled looks he received, and left the bar.

He didn't notice the evil grins the three had on their faces.

* * *

Gokudera yawned tiredly, carrying two books underneath his arm. His raven companion, Hibari Kyouya, looked just as tired, though for an entirely different reason. While Gokudera was tired from studying last night up until late (and not in the bed of a stranger for once), Hibari just hated having to wake up so early. As friends (no matter how much Kyouya denied the term), he had the duty to wake the skylark in at a proper time that wouldn't get him killed.

Hayato still didn't know how he was friends with the guy. They met in high school, and Hibari was a grade above him. Apparently, Hibari ran some kind of Disciplinary Committee, and made sure everyone followed the rules down to the letter, lest they get beaten by metal tonfas. They first met when Hayato had been smoking on the roof, and was caught by the prefect. A massive fight ensued, and even though he lost, he gained some respect from the other. Hibari wanted to fight him nearly once a day, even though he won almost every single time (there was one time that Hayato tripped, which saved him from the final blow and effectively put him in a position to pin Kyouya in a hold, so there was that one victory). So, ever since high school, Hibari basically looked after him (apparently, the skylark went through his records to find out everything from his family history to every single fight he's been in; this led him to believe that the school was creepy for keeping that kind of information) without even saying it.

"Gokudera," Kyouya stated, regaining his attention.

"What?" He asked, frowning slightly.

"If you keep thinking that hard, you are going to trip," Kyouya pointed out. "I've already stopped you from tripping twice now."

"You could have let me fall."

"Then you would complain that I didn't catch you." Hayato frowned further, and turned his head away in protest. He would have liked to start an argument, but it was too early for that. Instead, a mop of gravity defying brown hair caught his attention. The brunet was talking to a raven-haired male, and both of them began to laugh. Gokudera nearly stopped walking. Those pure brown eyes and bright smile nearly took his breath away.

Rather, they did, because he halted breathing altogether.

The two males were really engaged in what they were talking about, and were soon joined by a loud-mouthed (he could tell because he could hear the shouts) white-haired male. Hayato couldn't stop staring, because he just found the brunet _beautiful_. He was tempted to go over and talk to the male, but stopped as he remembered one thing.

He had no idea if the guy was gay.

He didn't want to go over and then be shot down suddenly. Moreover, in front of a group of people. Plus, that man was angelic, and Hayato knew he was practically the embodiment of sin, with how many men he slept with.

No matter what, he knew that even if by some miracle of a chance, the brunet was gay, he would taint that kind of kind-hearted appearance. He could just tell by the aura of the male, and the faint sounds of his laughter, that he was pure, and that wasn't something worth destroying.

"Gokudera, what could you possibly be spacing out about?" Hibari's question brought him back to reality, and he began to breathe once more.

"Uh, nothing," The silverette frowned at the hard stare he was receiving, "Let's just go already."

* * *

Hayato sighed as he read his book. He was at the small apartment he currently shared with his cousin, alone. G. was bound to come home soon from work though, unless he was going to Giotto's place. Frowning to himself, he stood and headed into the kitchen to make dinner, grabbing his cell phone along the way. He didn't feel like going to the bar tonight, especially since he saw that brunet this morning. Or maybe he should, he reconsidered, in order to get rid of the guy's presence in his thoughts. He really had no idea how he could be so enthralled by a person he never even met, and who didn't even know he existed. For some reason, that smile stuck in his mind. It was bright and warm, something he wished he had for himself.

"I'm back," a voice called as the front door opened. Gokudera looked up from his cooking preparations, watching as his cousin walked through the archway into the same room.

"Welcome back, G.," He greeted in a gruff voice, turning back to chopping the carrots. "Should I make enough for you?"

"Yeah, sure. I haven't eaten since lunch," G. nodded, "Want me to help?"

"If you helped, you'd burn down the kitchen."

"Hey, shitty brat!" G. knocked his fist into the silveret's temple in a teasing manner. "That was one time."

"One time too many." Hayato snorted, smirking lightly as he dropped the chopped carrot into a pan with various other vegetables. "Does Giotto- _san_ let you near the kitchen?"

"Yes, he does," G. said as he lit up a cigarette, "Giotto and Tsuna- _kun_ love my cooking."

"Tsuna? Who's that?" Gokudera raised an eyebrow. Was his cousin two-timing? He didn't seem like the type.

"Giotto's youngest brother. You know, there's Reborn, who you met once when you were younger, then there's Xanxus, and then Tsuna- _kun_ , who is the youngest. He's your age." G. flipped open his phone, and showed it to him. In the picture was Giotto, G., Reborn, a scarred male (who he deemed Xanxus, because that guy was definitely not his age), and a brunet.

Wait...that brunet was the one from this morning! He was G.'s lover's little brother...

What a small world. He suddenly felt hopeful, like he could actually meet the brunet, Tsuna ( _ah, Tsuna was a good name_ ), and then-

Time out. If Tsuna was Giotto's brother, then Giotto would be more inclined to injure him, G.'s cousin or not, if he tainted Tsuna's kind purity with his existence. Great...now it just got harder to ignore him.

"Ah, I see," Gokudera said, as if he didn't just re-break his heart on his own twice in the same day, "I thought for a second you were cheating on Giotto- _san_."

"I would never!" G. protested, "I love Giotto."

"Right, you lovestruck idiot," Hayato shook his head and quickly finished making the stir fry dinner for two. "Hurry up and grab some plates."

* * *

Gokudera found himself being hounded by the three creepy men nearly every time he went to the bar. He told them to leave him alone, pissed off by their existence as time went on, and often tried to hide himself on the dance floor and in a bathroom stall (he went as far as sneaking out the bathroom window once). He could just beat them up and be done with it, but three against one wasn't very fair, and he didn't want to trouble G. by getting the redhead to bail him from jail for assault. Despite his impatience and hot-headed nature, he knew that if he messed up with G., there would be no one to fall back on.

"Oh, it's the Princess." Gokudera froze on his way to his next class. Slowly, he turned his head to look behind him. Lo and behold, Bel stood there, grinning there like a madman. Rather than acknowledge him, Hayato turned his head forward and continued on his way like he never heard the guy. Bel, however, caught up to him with nothing short of a few quickened steps, and grinned at him wider. " _Shishishishi_ , don't be so cold Princess."

Hayato snorted, but said nothing, and turned into his classroom. He'd rather be damned than respond to his threats, because he knew it would encourage the blond. The vibe the guy constantly gave off only gave him more of a reason to try to ignore his existence. Still undeterred, Bel followed him in, grinning like the psycho he probably was.

"Oh Princess, you need to stop playing hard to get," Bel stated in a sing-song voice. Hayato still ignored him and sat in the back corner, next to a slumbering Hibari. The silveret was smart enough to have classes with people in higher years than him, so he got to share a few academic classes with the skylark. "Princess-"

"Shut up or I'll bite you to death," Hibari growled suddenly, awake and standing. His aura gave off his murderous intent, and the brandishing of his signature tonfas completed the picture. Bel raised his hands in a placating manner, and walked away, the grin on his face gone. Hayato sighed to himself as Hibari eventually sat down, but not before whacking him upside the head with a tonfa.

"What the hell was that for?" He nearly snarled, clenching his fists.

"Do a better job of keeping your stalkers away, herbivore," Kyoya said simply, and Hayato blinked. Kyoya knew? ...Huh?

"...It's not my fault," He defensively raised his arms up, keeping a wary eye on the skylark. In a completely uncharacteristic moment from Hibari, he asked,

"Shall I take care of it?" Gokudera could only blink stupidly, nearly gaping. He quickly regained his common his sense though, and snapped his jaw shut. He sighed a few moments later and murmured,

"It's fine. I'll figure it out." Kyoya only hummed, and went back to his nap. Gokudera frowned and opened his notebook.

It wasn't like this could last forever, right?

* * *

Apparently it could. Gokudera found himself being bothered by Bel on almost a regular basis for over a month (at least the stupid creep had enough sense not to follow him into his classes where Hibari would undoubtedly threaten him). He had stopped going to that bar, and instead frequented a different one, intent on escaping the three lunatics. He had to double check before he went home that he wasn't being followed; the last thing he wanted was one of them showing up at his doorstep. Hibari was getting more and more irritated with him, telling him that he would take care of it if he didn't any time soon, but Gokudera didn't protest when the other was spending a bit more time with him when the skylark wasn't enforcing the laws on peace breakers.

Hayato sighed into his palm, resting his cheek on it as he propped his elbow on the bar counter. He was tired of all the harassment, but he no longer had the bravado to actually take action against them considering the consequences he'd face. He threatened and barked all he could to dissuade them, but it wasn't working. It was getting to the point where he wished to just hide out somewhere, or even ask for Hibari's help. One day, that he would come to regret, he finally gave in. What would happen then?

_Shit, shit, shit, shit!_ He stumbled across the sidewalk all of five minutes later. Someone spiked his drink! His vision couldn't focus and he could hardly think straight. He managed to get himself into the nearest alley. Shit, what was he going to do?

" _Shishishi_ , I've caught you~" His head shot up and dread filled him instantly.

"You..." He slurred. His limbs shook in protest when he tried taking a few steps back. His back hit the wall and his vision swam once again. Bel sauntered up to him with that infuriating grin on his face.

"C'mon Princess," Bel grinned. "You were taking too long. I had to do things my way, ya know?" The blond laughed again and took him by the arm. "This is what you get for being disobedient after all."

Gokudera wanted to fight back. He wanted to yell and call for help. He wanted someone to come and see this and stop him.

He couldn't. He could hardly stay upright as he was dragged and he staggered along. He could hardly protest, hardly think, and hardly see.

_...Shit..._

* * *

He couldn't remember how he made it home two nights later. G. was swearing up a storm in worry for not contacting him at all, and all he could do was apologize and avoid eye contact. He couldn't even look his cousin in the eye. Not after what happened. Not after he was raped.

Not after he was raped not only once, but thrice, and by each of the men who stalked him.

They told him that if he ran again, the punishment would be worse. They said if he denied their calls he would be hurt again, and that if he _just listened_ , it wouldn't have happened in the first place. What the hell was he supposed to do? Go to the police? Tell G.? The police wouldn't do anything about it. It was between males, and whenever that happened, things typically were turned a blind eye, as if it wasn't happening. There was no way he could tell the only family member who cared about him. G. could be a total pain in the ass and what not, but he was the only one the silveret could rely on. If G. found out, would he care less? Would he kick him out for troubling him with this?

He couldn't. He couldn't risk it. He had nowhere else to go if he lost this. He'd end up back on the streets, like when he ran away one time back when he lived with his bastard of a father. He had been found and returned by the police two months later, but no one in the mansion acted like they even noticed he was gone. They were probably even glad that he was gone too. One less mouth to feed, after all.

"Oh, Hayato, you're home?" G. asked when he returned home, and it took all of Hayato's willpower not to flinch as he sat on the couch with an open book in his lap. He had no idea what he was even reading.

"Yeah, I didn't have class today," He lied. He had already missed some of his classes this week. Why not miss a few more... "The teacher called out."

"Hmm...hey, want to head out for dinner tonight?" The redhead asked, leaning against the back of the couch to see him. "We haven't done that in a while."

"What about Giotto- _san_?" He asked. "You usually head there for dinner on Wednesdays."

"He has to work late tonight. So what do you say? Wanna go?"

"Uh..." He wanted to refuse, but he had no valid excuse. He didn't know what to say if G. would ask him why. "Y-yea, okay."

"Alright. Let me just shower and we can go." Gokudera nodded and G. headed off for the bathroom. Once the door shut, he nearly slammed the back of his head into the back of the couch. He let out a shuddering breath.

He suddenly could not remember how he usually acted around his cousin. Was he more distant? Did he usually accept dinner offers? Wasn't he supposed to be off somewhere, only to return home a day later, or calling at unusual hours of the night for a ride home?

How did he act again? What was his usual action?

_Oh my god, would he run into those three lunatics when he was out?_ Would they say something? What would happen then? He couldn't think properly and gripped his hair tightly. Would he have to listen to their demands? He really, really did not want to leave the apartment ever.

There's no way he wanted to leave. What if they tried drugging him again? What then? He wouldn't be able to resist again. Was he going to become their puppet?

"Hayato, ready to go?" G. emerged from the bathroom ten minutes later, while he was thinking all this.

"Oh, yeah," He said quickly. "I was just thinking...about the exam I have coming up..." Damn it, why didn't he use that excuse in the first place?

"Did you want to stay home and study then? We can go out another time."

"N-no," He shook his head, "It'll be fine. I'll just study later."

As they left, Gokudera sincerely hoped that he would not run into those freaks.

* * *

He didn't even realize how much time had passed. It had really been over a year since then. He couldn't remember much besides waking up in a bed beside one of them everyday, accepting their advances without protest, unable to resist. He relied on it for a time, desperate for anything he could get, but he couldn't do it anymore. He didn't want to always be stuck in this life, being abused without him fighting back. He remembered a time when he was able to kick nearly everyone's asses when they so much as looked at him the wrong way. Now, he felt like if he raised a hand he would be beaten back into submission and brutally assaulted until they were sure he wouldn't do it again.

He wasn't sure if there was anything he could do. What could he say to someone? Who would he even confess too? There was absolutely no one he felt like he could open up to. The only thing he had going for him was watching Tsuna during his time on the college campus. He wanted to berate himself for even doing such an action, as if reminded him of his current predicament, but he felt slightly calmer when watching the bubbly brunet interact with his group of friends. It lifted his spirits, even if minutely, and gave him just a bit of hope that he could change. It was odd how a person he didn't even talk to did this to him. Mukuro and them had noticed this, but he had told them to leave the brunet alone, because he wasn't going to talk to him ever.

"Kitten, you are staring off into space," Mukuro chided with a smirk. Hayato started and paid more attention to his surroundings. He remembered that they were back at the bar, the usual meeting place, unfortunately. Bel was off talking to some guy as Mukuro stood next to him.

"Sorry," Gokudera murmured, glancing around once more. Byakuran was talking to someone, but he couldn't quite see the face, since they were off towards the opposite corner and the dim lighting made it harder to see in the first place. His eyes swept the dance floor, spotting the usual, though he almost could have sworn he saw Hibari dancing in there, but there was no way that could be him. The skylark dancing would be like pigs flying.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Byakuran leading someone along (this unfortunate person looked to be either intoxicated or drugged; the latter, probably, considering the trio's habit to use such methods to get what they want) towards the door to leave. He squinted.

That hair...it looked a lot like...

Tsuna!

Holy shit, that was Tsuna! What the hell was Byakuran doing? He moved to go follow them, but Mukuro grabbed his arm.

" _Oya_ , where do you think you're going?" The pineapple asked, smirking.

"Let me go," He commanded quietly, and managed to jerk his arm free. He ran after the two and quickly glanced around once he left the bar. He ran towards the alley, and spotted the unmissable blindingly white hair. "Oi!" He yelled, once he saw what the other was doing. He punched him ( _holy shit, I'm in so much trouble, I just punched Byakuran. I just punched Byakuran!_ The thoughts were torn between despair and elation within the span of a second) and didn't even watch the other slam into the dumpster before turning to Tsuna. "Are you alright?"

However, Tsuna was already unconscious, a side effect of the drug. Carefully, he buttoned the shirt back up and slipped his arms under a frame even leaner than his own. He lifted the brunet and stepped out of the alley, only to see a raven calling Tsuna's name frantically. He walked up to the raven and handed him back in a hurry, not wanting to stick around for the consequences of his actions against the white-haired creep and what it must've looked like.

"Uh, here, I found him in the alley. I guess this is the guy you're looking for. He was being assaulted by some guy, but I knocked him out cold. You might wanna call the police," He said quickly even as the raven looked confused and slightly suspicious. "I-I've got to go, bye!"

"Wait!" The raven shouted after him, but he was too busy panicking as he ran away from the bar.

He was so dead and he knew it.

At least he saved Tsuna...

* * *

Damn it, everything hurt. He was sure he'd have bruises and marks on his chest forever, and no amount of aspirin was going to help him. He curled up in his bed, back at his shared apartment, and shook underneath the covers. His head was aching and throbbing, his throat hurt, and he kept getting chills. In addition to his punishment for punching Byakuran and getting him sent to jail, he also currently had a fever. G. took a day off from work (to which he felt bad for making his cousin do so) to take care of him for the day. The redhead was mad for him calling early this morning to be picked up from where he had been able to get to, but once he saw the state of the silveret, he calmed down.

"It looks like it's gone down some," G. remarked, staring at the thermometer. "Once you get some more sleep, you'll probably wake up better. I won't call Shamal then."

"Tch," Gokudera clicked his tongue. No matter what, Shamal always riled him up, "The pervert wouldn't help anyway..." He stifled a cough, throwing the blanket over his head.

"He owes me a favor," G. replied. Shamal always seemed to owe the tattoo artist favors. "Well, just get some rest, alright?"

"...'Kay," He mumbled into his arm, closing his eyes. G. left the room shortly after.

No matter how hard he tried, though, he couldn't fall asleep. Sleeping meant reliving moments he'd rather not remember. He had to go through it everyday and yet got no peace in his sleep. All he wanted was to get away, but he didn't think that was possible.

After all, he was just a bastard child. He was doomed to suffer.

* * *

He was able to spend the next few days in recovery mode, apparently a "gift" from the three. They didn't want to catch his illness, the _bastards_ , he thought sulkily. Well, maybe if he got sick more often, he would be able to stay away. For whatever odd reason, he already knew that it wouldn't work. His hazy mind was just conjuring thoughts for his feeble hope that it would all end. Four days after his misfortune, he was called back by Bel. He caught a cab to a shady part of the area, and the cycle recommenced for the next three days.

Sitting outside on cold, hard steps, he lit the cigarette in his mouth and pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes. He shook from the lack of proper clothing, but it was more out of anxiety. Bel had left an hour ago, and he was stuck here. He wasn't sure what he should have entirely done, and ended up calling G. for help on this day. Typically he could have called another cab, but he was almost out of money already and he didn't exactly have a job (he couldn't even hold one down for more than a week). He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling smoke and taking a long drag. He was tired. He always was; he doubted he'd get any sleep tonight.

"Hayato, let's go!" A voice took him out of his thoughts, and he realized that G. had pulled up without even his notice. He stood, glancing at the passenger seat, and headed down the steps with frenzied thoughts. What was Tsuna doing in the car? Why was he here?

_He looks okay, thank god,_ He thought at last when he slid into the back seat after putting out the cancer stick. He murmured out a thanks, and G. introduced him to Tsuna, even though Gokudera already knew who he was. Tsuna greeted him and so he nodded slightly, before staring out the window. He ignored G.'s look and the silence, opting to stay silent himself. His heart was secretly racing, uncomprehending the fact that Tsuna was in the same car as him, and even spoke to him. He didn't even notice when Tsuna had bid him good night and left until G. started driving away and spoke,

"Where were you?" He was asked.

"Out with friends," came the easy, quietly said lie, "They had to leave early, and I lost my ride."

"Three nights in a row?" G. raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Their sister is pregnant, and they had to leave because of the close due date." He had forgotten how easy it was to lie to his cousin, to pretend nothing was wrong even if he was breaking on the inside. The endless cycle did that to him.

"Well, next time, just let me know you're heading out, alright?" The redhead sighed. "I don't like not knowing where you are."

"...Sorry," He murmured.

"It's fine. Just try to be more careful," G. shook his head with a slight smile. "So, did you eat yet?" Hayato shook his head. "Want to pick something up then?"

"Okay."

* * *

He stepped into his next class, sitting down towards the back. He didn't have the energy to keep up any kind of attention span, and so promptly let his head fall onto the desk. He had managed to get a bit of sleep but not much. During the entire class, he had barely managed to take some kind notes that he thought were more scribbles than actual useful words. Well, he'd be alright if he just winged the next test anyway. It should be fine.

"Gokudera." He lifted his gaze to see Hibari when walking towards the exit of the campus.

"Yes?" He asked, as normally as he possibly could, though still in the quieter voice he had gained over time. Hibari stared at him. "What are you doing here?" Hibari had, after all, graduated.

"Come with me," He was told and promptly followed, despite his confusion.

"Where are we going?" He wondered aloud.

"My house."

"Eh, why?" Hayato blinked. Hibari shot him a look, and he shut his mouth. Hibari did what he wanted when he wanted. He really didn't know why the skylark was making him accompany the raven but complied nonetheless. On the way there, he kept glancing around. He had never been to Hibari's house before, and was kind of eager to see it (half of his reason to keep looking was to keep an eye out for those three, but no one needed to know that).

"Gokudera." He jumped, whirling his head around to face the skylark, who was raising an eyebrow at him. "You will trip like that."

He flushed and scowled at the same time, mumbling, "sorry."

"Hn." Kyoya turned back around, leading them both into what looked to be an expensive apartment building. Upon entering, the entire complex had the traditional feel to it, with _shoji_ screens, sliding doors, bamboo plants, and tatami mats. The lady dressed in a kimono at the counter bowed at Hibari politely as they walked her by and headed up a set of stairs. He entered Hibari's similar styled apartment, after being told to, and sat on one cushion when glanced at.

For the next few hours, they sat in companionable silence, and shared tea for reasons Gokudera didn't understand.

* * *

It finally took him awhile to realize that Hibari was probably checking up on him. They hadn't been meeting as often once his senior had graduated, and Hibari was probably seeing him because he cared (though he would not admit to such a thing). It had baffled the silveret for a time, and even filled his thoughts on why the raven had suddenly decided to do such a thing, but could only end up marking it as one of Hibari's odd traits and whims.

He silently sighed, shuffling awkwardly into the bar in order to meet Mukuro. He kept his gaze downcast, though he made sure not to walk into anybody.

"Gokudera- _san_?" He nearly jumped, and turned in surprise to see Tsuna sitting at the corner seat of the bar. What was he doing here? Was he here with someone?

"Ah...Sawada- _san_." _Oh my god, I can't let Mukuro see him._ He thought in a panic, even as he quietly approached the other. He spoke quietly, "I...didn't know you came here."

"Ah, a friend of mine asked me to come with him. Are you here often, Gokudera- _san_?" Tsuna responded, maybe hoping to make conversation.

"Ah, yeah, I guess." Gokudera glanced off to the side, trying to spot the pineapple to no avail. Maybe he wasn't here yet...

"Hayato- _kun_ , are you coming or what?" Mukuro's voice purred, and he stiffened. _Shit_.

"One minute, Mukuro," He frowned and turned to Tsuna. He murmured a "Good night, Sawada- _san_ " and didn't wait around for a response as he took his place next to Mukuro. The other placed an arm around his shoulders as he led them both into the bathroom.

"Hmm, if I didn't know any better, Kitten, you'd be talking to that boy despite our obvious warning," Mukuto smirked, locking the door and pushing him against the wall.

"N-No," Damn it, he stuttered. "He called out to me...I just wanted to make it brief...I was about to say goodbye."

"Is that so?" Mukuro busied himself with unbuttoning the shirt the silveret was wearing. " _Oya_ , I almost forgot. Byakuran is being released from jail soon. Bel was nice enough to pay the bail."

Fucking fantastic, he thought miserably.

* * *

Gokudera hated himself. He really, really did. He hated that he wasn't strong enough to get himself away from everything. He hated that he couldn't speak above a certain voice level without worrying about being punished for it. He hated that he had to lie to his only caring family member because he was afraid of what could happen (whether that be G. getting hurt or him being kicked out or any other terrible scenario). He hated that the one friend he had was hardly around anymore, and that he had to lie to him too. He hated that he couldn't stand up for himself, and that he had dragged Tsuna into that terrible incident due to his like towards the other. He hated how Bel had to drag him into a bathroom on campus in the middle of the day because the asshole was horny as fuck. He hated that he had to go along with it.

He hated watching his three prison guards fight over who "got him tonight" after Byakuran's release this morning. He stared at the floor, waiting for the thing to settle itself. The three kept saying something to him, but he was ignoring them at the moment, because it never really mattered did it? Byakuran would be extremely rough, Mukuro would torture him slowly, and Bel would cut him with knives. No matter what, it was a lose-lose situation. He glanced to the side and just stopped himself from freezing when he made eye contact with the one and only Tsuna.

_Seriously, how does he keep showing up?_ He thought when he was gestured over with a smile. He wasn't sure why he suddenly thought it was a good idea or how one smile could make him even do it, but he walked past the three, ignoring their protests and questions, and joined Tsuna nervously.

"Hello, Sawada- _san_ ," He greeted quietly.

"Hello, Gokudera- _kun_ ," Tsuna smiled, "You don't have to call me that. Everyone just calls me Tsuna."

"Ah...Tsuna- _san,_ then..." He managed a small smile in return. He felt his face flush slightly when he added on, "then...you can call me Hayato."

"Alright, Hayato- _kun_. Were you okay over there? You looked uncomfortable."

"Ah, you don't have to worry. It happens...often."

"Eh, that's no good," The brunet frowned in obvious concern, "If it bothers you, you shouldn't come here."

"It's not that simple..." He forced a faint smile. "I wish it was." Tsuna glanced off to the side, and Gokudera glanced over to the dance floor and his eyes nearly popped out of his skull. _Was that Hibari?_

_Holy fuck. It was!_

Not being called a genius for nothing, he quickly added two and two together. Hibari had been keeping an eye on him? What other reason could there be? Was that why Hibari invited him over the other day? To give him a break? He forced his gaze back to Tsuna, trying to keep his thoughts to himself. What good would there be to freak out over it, especially when those three were definitely staring at him.

"Hayato- _kun_ , it can be that simple. Why don't we just get out of here?" Tsuna tilted his head. Hayato blinked, trying to comprehend the question. He hardly knew Tsuna, and Tsuna probably vice versa, so why? He knew Tsuna was definitely a good person, but...why do such a thing? Against his better judgment to not get Tsuna involved after the last time, he nodded and his face flushed once more.

"S-sure," He managed to say. Tsuna smiled warmly,

"Okay." The brunet flagged down a raven, who apparently dragged Hibari along for reasons Gokudera did not yet know. The two stared at each other, and Gokudera could tell Hibari knew he knew why the skylark was there, yet did not say anything. He frowned, but let it slide. Maybe he could get him to talk somehow. "Hayato- _kun_ and I are going to leave. It's too stuffy in here." Tsuna said.

"Eh? How are you going to get back?" The other raven asked.

Shrugging, Tsuna responded with, "walking."

"Are you fine with that?" Hibari asked him. It was another surprise, but he gave a small nod,

"I...I don't mind."

"Let's go. They'll be fine," Hibari nodded and told the second raven.

"Yeah, alright," The second raven grinned, "Well, Tsuna's got a lot of self-defense techniques under his belt. His brothers wouldn't let him leave the house until he learned them all."

Tsuna groaned, "I had to stay in the house until I was fifteen...now I'm stuck in an apartment with them." Hayato couldn't help but chuckle and smile at the statement. Those had to be some pretty overprotective siblings.

"Be careful, okay? Text me when you get home." The second raven turned away with Hibari.

"Alright, Mom," Tsuna said in a teasing voice, and the two promptly left the establishment. The cold air hit the silveret like a brick wall, and he resisted the urge to shiver.

"Uhm..." He began, gaining the other's attention, "So...where are we going?"

"I was thinking my apartment, if that's alright. I don't want to force you though."

"Ah, no," He said in a hurry, excited and anxious about the notion of seeing Tsuna's home, "That's...good with me."

"Alright," Tsuna smiled, "It'll be about a forty minute walk from here." He nodded, following Tsuna once the brunet began to lead the way. He fidgeted, trying not stare at the other too much. He really wanted to smoke, but he didn't know if he should ask or just do it. He wasn't sure if Tsuna would hate it, but the urge was killing him right now.

"Uh..." He spoke before he realized it.

"Yes?" Shit, well now he had to ask.

"Do you mind...if I...smoke? I can wait if...if it's a problem."

"No, go ahead. G.- _san_ smokes all the time. The only rule is not to smoke in the apartment." Relieved, he pulled out his carton of cigarettes, and lit one up as soon as possible. He shoved his hands into his blazer. It was silent only a moment more, and he for some reason wished to break it.

"Thanks..." He murmured a bit late, and tacked on, "Tsuna- _san_?"

"Yes?"

"Did your brothers really keep you hostage in your house?" He was really curious about this, after all. Who did such a thing? Tsuna began to laugh long enough that he had to hold onto his own sides, and Hayato looked at him, concerned. Was that a bad question to ask? Did he just break Tsuna?

Tsuna took a deep breath, "No, no, not exactly. I was allowed out, but more often than not, one of them would come with me. No matter what. So, I wasn't allowed out until I was fifteen really."

"It sounds like they care a lot," He said and meant it. Even though he had G., he would have really loved it if he had a large family that loved and protected him like that.

"Enough to buy an apartment for four men in their twenties to fit live in," Tsuna chuckled. He smiled at the statement, and got one in return. "I don't know whether to be grateful or to be irritated. Giotto _-nii_ is like a nagging mother, Reborn _-nii_ is a sadistic tutor, and Xanxus _-nii_ is the brother who just wants to get out of there."

Hayato laughed at this, thinking about Giotto acting as such, recalling all of G.'s stories. He flushed and stopped his laugh short when he figured Tsuna wouldn't like it if he laughed at his predicament. "I'm sorry."

"No need to be." Tsuna smiled at him reassuringly.

"Tsuna- _san_...would you...mind telling me more about your family?" He asked quietly. He always wondered what it was like to have a nice, normal family that loved their kids no matter what, and what his life would have been like if it hadn't been so fucked up.

Tsuna smiled once more and replied, "Sure thing."

* * *

Upon arriving at Tsuna's apartment, Hayato hesitated. Even if he had been invited, it still felt weird to enter another's home.

"I'm home," Tsuna called, before looking back at him. "It's okay; you're welcome to come in."

"Sorry for the intrusion." He slipped off his sneakers and jacket, the latter of which Tsuna took from him to hang up.

"I'm freezing. Do you want a cup of coffee?" Tsuna asked as they moved further inside.

"Ah...okay." He agreed after a moment, suppressing a shiver.

"Okay, this way then." Tsuna led him toward the kitchen, though he stopped by the living room.

"Oh, Tsuna, that is you. I thought I heard your voice, though you're early tonight. Welcome back." Gokudera turned his head to spot Giotto.

"Oh, it's the _Chibi_ G.," He turned his head to see Reborn (and now Giotto) looking at him, and he shifted uncomfortably.

"Hey, Gokudera- _kun_. It's been a while," Giotto smiled.

"Hi, Giotto- _san_ , Reborn- _san_ ," He greeted. Tsuna silently pushed him towards the kitchen and glanced at him. He entered the room as Tsuna said something else to his brothers and entered the kitchen as well.

"I'm sorry if they're making you uncomfortable," Tsuna apologized once he began to make a pot of coffee.

"Ah, it's fine...I'm the one intruding."

"You aren't intruding. I invited you over, okay? Don't worry about it," Tsuna told him and slowly made his way to the table and took a seat. "How do you take your coffee?"

"Just black is fine."

Tsuna paused and then said, "You don't have to hold back. Nothing will be going to waste, so it's fine if you want something in it." The brunet smiled, but he shifted and looked the other way. He didn't want them to waste their supplies on him. "I'll call G.- _san_ while he's at work and ask how you take your coffee."

Hayato flushed, eyes widening in surprise at the almost-threat. He opened his mouth to say 'no!', hesitated, and then finally answered, "...cream." Tsuna smiled and told him 'coming right up.' There was nothing but the sound of the coffee maker for a few minutes, and the small sounds of Tsuna pouring and preparing the cups until he brought them over.

"Thank you," He dipped his head in thanks with a small smile as his hands enclosed around the warm mug. He appreciated the hospitality, even if he didn't want his host to bother.

"You're very welcome," Tsuna smiled, taking a long drink and pulling out his phone. Gokudera watched as Tsuna began to rant on the consequences of not sending a text to Yamamoto (who must be that raven) and how his brother would freak out and how G. would be the only sane person to remind Giotto that Tsuna owned a phone. He couldn't help laughing, though he did hide it behind his hands. "Did I say that out loud?"

"You did...I'm sorry," He chuckled again, bringing up the mug to hide his smile.

"No need to be." Tsuna grinned. "It's true though! They're so frantic over being protective and lose their common sense!"

"I see," The silveret took a sip of his mug and suddenly asked, "What brand is this? It's good."

"Ah, I think it's from Italy," Tsuna tilted his head, "Xanxus _-nii_ brought it back when he went on some trip. Next time he goes, I'll ask him to get extra for you, okay?"

"E-eh?" He blinked, "B-but-" _I'm just a stranger!_

"It's fine. Hayato- _kun_ , we're already friends, right? Otherwise I wouldn't have invited you here. So its okay." Tsuna's stern look could only make him respond,

"Ah...o-okay." Tsuna smiled again.

* * *

Gokudera followed Hibari up the steps to Yamamoto's apartment. After exchanging numbers with Tsuna and asking to hang out again, he found himself here after getting Hibari to come with him. The skylark had rolled his eyes but agreed. Hibari knocked on the door briefly as he stood behind the raven. Yamamoto shouted a 'coming' and the door opened soon after.

"Hey guys, come in," Yamamoto greeted. Hibari nodded as he gave a quiet 'sorry for intruding.' Pleasantries were exchanged and Gokudera officially met Yamamoto. Conversation between them carried on mostly between Yamamoto and Tsuna, but he occasionally gave his opinion on something and Hibari did if he was prodded enough or was asked about something he was interested in (namely, the peace).

"You like the herbivore?" Hibari asked on the walk home a few hours later. Gokudera started at the question.

"Uh...yeah..." He murmured finally, looking away.

"Hn," Hibari grunted and that seemed to be that. However, being particularly daring sometimes when it came to Hibari, he asked,

"You like the baseball idiot?" Hibari turned and shot him a look. Grinning slightly, he nearly sang in his soft murmur, " _You do_."

"Gokudera Hayato, I will bite you to death if you do not shut up."

"Hey, you're the one that danced with him..." He mumbled, earning a solid _whack_ to the back of his head. He hissed, grabbing the spot, even if it wasn't as hard as it usually was. Hibari rolled his eyes and began to walk away and he had to run to catch up with the skylark.

That was a pretty interesting discovery.

* * *

Gokudera knew things were going to catch up with him eventually. He had been avoiding the three like the plague, somehow able to avoid Bel in school, and avoiding the bar and the surrounding area altogether. G. had been surprised at first to see him home so often, but it was slowly becoming the norm. He knew, however, it wouldn't be able to stay like this forever. Half a month after the first time the four of them hung out, he and Tsuna had been heading back after hanging out with the two ravens when it happened.

"Oi, Hayato." He froze, and his eyes widened; he could feel the blood drain from his face. He turned, seeing the three of them showing varying degrees of aggravation on their faces (deep down, he knew they were all pissed as hell).

"...What?" He managed to ask.

" _Shishishi_ ," Bel snickered. "Come on princess, it's not fair to just ditch us all of a sudden."

"I didn't ditch you, Bel," He took a step back with a frown marring his face, "Don't call me princess either."

" _Oya_ ," Mukuro smirked, "I see we are back to having claws, little kitten. I'll have to de-claw you again."

"I don't...want to go anywhere with you. Any of you." He shot a firm glare. He had enough of it and he no longer wanted anything to do with them. It didn't matter that he was completely terrified at the moment with him and Tsuna outnumbered.

"Haya- _chan_ ," Byakuran sang, "just because you saved this little brunette, doesn't give you the right to leave us like that." The silveret spotted Tsuna frowning from the corner of his eye. He was surprised however, when Tsuna stepped up and placed an arm out in front of him.

Glaring darkly, Tsuna stated, "Leave him be. If he doesn't want you here, then go."

"Tsuna- _san_..."

"Oh, Tsunayoshi- _chan_ , we can't do that. He's ours," Byakuran smiled, but Gokudera could easily tell he was getting frustrated.

" _He is not property_." Tsuna clenched his hands into fists. "I don't care what you thought of him before. He's not yours, and if you come near him again, I will hurt you."

" _Kufufufu_ , how interesting. I wonder how well you can hold that threat," Mukuro grinned eerily.

" _Shishishi_ , Princess said the same thing." Bel snickered loudly, "Did you know that he used to be loud and impatient? He even had the audacity to yell and threaten us. That all changed once he was ours, you know."

Tsuna growled, "regardless, go away. Now."

"I don't think we will," Byakuran took one step forward. Tsuna did as well.

Chaos erupted.

* * *

Hayato stumbled into the apartment after Tsuna, shutting the door just as the brunet located the light switch. A lot of things hurt, and his arm was bleeding and ruining his clothes, but he was more worried about Tsuna. The other had gone out of his way to help and now he was hurt, and it was his fault.

"Tsuna-san, this is my fault..." He stated and Tsuna just shook his head.

"It's not," He was told, "I chose to help you out of my own free will. Sit on the couch." He was fully prepared to remain standing until he realized Tsuna was waiting for him to sit. He reluctantly complied and Tsuna left the room. From the looks of the dark rooms and the silence, the apartment had been vacant prior to their entrance and Gokudera was secretly glad for it. He didn't want to be mauled by Tsuna's three brothers for getting him hurt. Tsuna returned and gently took his sprained wrist to begin wrapping it.

He frowned, intent on continuing the conversation, "but...because of this, they're going to target you. They won't ever leave me alone...and now you'll get hurt. If you get hurt because of me..."

Tsuna was being stubborn and replied, "It's okay, Hayato- _kun_. It's not fair that they ganged up on you like that...Take off your shirt so I can take care of your arm and shoulder."

"Shouldn't your injuries be tended to first...?" He asked quietly. Tsuna was injured too...

"They're fine," Tsuna assured him and so he reluctantly removed his open button-down. Tsuna took to taking care of his injuries and then his own. He kept quiet during this, even as Tsuna took a seat beside him once everything was done. "Hayato- _kun_...Byakuran said you saved me."

He blinked, "Eh?" He wanted to ask 'what about it' or tell him 'he lied' or anything, but the only thing he got out of his mouth was, "...you remember?"

"A little bit. I remember someone saving me. You yelled. That seems unlike you," Tsuna smiled at him, but he couldn't bring himself to smile back.

"That was my fault too," He said instead.

"Eh, how?"

"Even though I told them to stay away from you...they didn't listen and-" He began to ramble until Tsuna placed a hand over his mouth.

"Wait, Hayato- _kun_. What do you mean by that? Can you start with how you got involved with the three of them?" He didn't know where to start, but he ended up starting at his past. He confessed in the middle of his ramble, and even when he realized it, he couldn't bring himself to stop speaking. Tsuna rubbed soothing motions onto his hand as he continued, speaking faster as he went on. He didn't hear Tsuna when he tried to get him to quiet down until the brunet yelled and he winced at the sound, shutting up promptly. Tsuna raised his hand to wipe away the tears on his face; He didn't even realize he had been crying.

"It's okay. Please, don't cry. It's okay. I don't care if they come after me. I don't care how much they want you back. I refuse to let you go back to that kind of life. There are people worried about you. Hibari- _san_ worries and G.- _san_ worries, and I worry about your well-being. You don't have to keep everything bottled inside. Let others help you." Tsuna spoke in one breath, and Hayato turned his gaze away.

"But...I don't want to bother others with this...It's my problem."

He was pulled into a tight hug as Tsuna explained to him, "Hayato- _kun_. Friends and family are here for a reason. Okay? I'll help you through this. So will G.- _san_ , Hibari- _san_ , and Yamamoto. Giotto- _nii_ , and Reborn- _nii_...and maybe even Xanxus- _nii_ will help too. Don't think you're alone on this."

"Tsuna- _san_..." The silveret cried, grabbing onto the brunette's shirt tightly and burying his face into the other's neck. "How...can you say that so normally...? I even told you my feelings and yet you..."

"It's not like I'm rejecting you, Hayato- _kun..."_ Tsuna started to say and his heart stopped. Could it be... "I...feel the same way you know?"

"You...you do?" He choked out, not believing it for a minute, but _damn_ it, he hoped it was true.

"Yes, I do. So don't think for a minute that you're going to burden me with your feelings." He couldn't think of anything to say, so he only hugged the brunet tighter.

The embrace said more to him than anything else could have.

* * *

That night was the first time he slept peacefully in a long while. There were no terrible dreams or him waking at every sound. He was slowly beginning to wake when a hand brushed away some of his hair from his face. He slowly opened his eyes and gazed at Tsuna. Tsuna's injuries stood out to him and he immediately felt guilty even in his half-asleep state, but he avoided saying anything about it.

"Tsuna- _san_...good morning," He murmured instead.

Tsuna smiled, "Morning, Hayato- _kun_. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes...thank you," Gokudera sat up, and Tsuna followed shortly after. The brunet got up to look in the mirror, and looked annoyed at the injuries. "...Are you okay?"

"I'm alright. Are you? How's your wrist?" Tsuna responded as he turned back around.

"It'll be okay," He answered as he stood and joined the other. He eyed the hand-printed bruise and added, "...I'm more concerned about how your brothers will take the bruises."

Tsuna ran his thumb gently over the silveret's split lip, and he couldn't help but flush. "I think I have a turtleneck somewhere buried deep in my closet. It'll be fine," The brunet smiled, "I can lend you clothes too. You're not taller than me by that much."

Immediately, he protested, "Eh, you don't have to-"

"I want to, and that's what matters," Tsuna handed him some clothing. "Here. These are all a bit too big for me. So they should be alright."

He smiled slightly, "Thank you, Tsuna- _san_."

"You don't have to add a honorific if you don't want to. The '- _san_ ' makes me feel old," Tsuna laughed, "If it's fine, I can just call you Hayato in return."

He nodded, "okay...Tsu...Tsuna." Tsuna smiled brightly before turning back to find clothes for himself. Once they both changed, they left the room and headed towards the kitchen. Gokudera recognized the man at the table as Xanxus, but did not know who the other was. Tsuna entered but he remained at the threshold.

"Good morning, Xanxus- _nii_ ," Tsuna greeted the two, "Squalo- _san_."

"Yo, Tsunayoshi," The man at the stove said. Tsuna glanced back at him, waving him in. He took a few steps inside, but stayed off to the side and out of the way. Tsuna shook his head but quickly moved to make two cups of coffee, and handed one to him.

"Who is that?" Xanxus asked, glancing at him.

"Gokudera Hayato. G.- _san_ 's cousin," Tsuna introduced. "Hayato, this is Xanxus- _nii_. And over there is Superbi Squalo- _san_."

"Did you shack up with him?" Hayato flushed deeply and nearly spit out the coffee in his mouth.

"Did you get into an actual relationship with Squalo- _san_?" Tsuna instantly retorted. Gokudera furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, but the two older adult's had color on their cheeks, and Tsuna smiled at him; he was missing something here.

The brunet downed his scalding coffee, "Well, I didn't 'shack up with him'. Come on Hayato, we can get breakfast down the street. And then I need to call Yamamoto, because he's probably having a heart attack wondering why I never sent him a text last night."

"Alright." Hayato nodded and finished his coffee quickly. Mugs were placed in the sink, and Tsuna grabbed his essentials as they left.

The brunet shouted "have fun playing house, you lovey-dovey couple!"as they left and Gokudera almost jumped at the yell coming from the apartment; Tsuna laughed. However, once they made their way to street level and out on the sidewalk, Tsuna sighed.

"What's wrong?" He asked, worried.

Tsuna explained, "it's a good thing that Giotto- _nii_ and Reborn- _nii_ weren't there. They would have pointed out the bandage on my cheek and your bandaged wrist and split lip. I'd rather they not freak out first thing in the morning. Anyway, I need to call Yamamoto and reassure him that I'm not dead."

Hayato smiled.

* * *

Takeshi had loudly asked if Tsuna was okay the second he was in the cafe. Gokudera was surprised to see a half-awake Kyoya being dragged in behind the taller raven as the two of them sat on the other side of the booth. He tucked the mental image away for later.

"I told you I'm fine. I forgot to text you is all." Tsuna smiled and allowed the waitress to come and take their orders. Once she was gone, the baseball lover asked,

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Tsuna answered patiently.

"...Why are you wearing that turtleneck?"

"Because it's cold," The brunet answered flawlessly. Gokudera was a bit awed by Tsuna's skills to make up excuses.

"You hate that turtleneck. In fact, you hate turtlenecks in general. Also, what's with the bandage on your face?" Tsuna was going to answer, but Gokudera merely watched the vein in Kyoya's temple pulse and the older raven pulled on the ear of Takeshi and spoke,

"Stop badgering him. He's fine, so shut up. You woke me up for no reason."

"Ow ow ow ow, Kyouya, that _hurts_!" Yamamoto flailed.

Hayato buried his face into the borrowed hoodie to avoid showing his mouth, and murmured, "Idiot...Hibari hates being woken up."

"Yamamoto, why did you drag him if he was sleeping?" Tsuna sighed. The silveret was wondering what the two were doing together last night before deciding he didn't want to know. He already knew of Hibari's feelings towards the baseball idiot so it was bound to happen eventually, he supposed.

"I was worried," Takeshi said, as if it explained everything. Gokudera was not sure how that justified waking up the skylark.

"Gokudera, stop shrinking in on yourself," Hibari glared pointedly at him, looking like he was trying to figure him out.

He immediately protested, "I'm not shrinking in on myself; I'm cold." Hibari narrowed his eyes and he tried not to flinch. The other, however, turned his head to look out the window, and breakfast thankfully arrived soon. It was eaten in silence, and he was secretly glad he was ambidextrous so he could eat with his left hand instead of his injured right. It was a bit hard angling his face the right way to hide his face from Hibari, but he managed. He protested when he wasn't allowed to pay for himself, but ended up letting it slide.

He and Tsuna headed back to the apartment, and he was glad that was one thing over with.

* * *

They had been back at Tsuna's home for less than ten minutes and sitting in the living room (Xanxus and Squalo were nowhere to be found) when Tsuna's phone rang. The brunet sighed and answered the phone, placing it on speaker.

"Yes?" He answered.

Giotto's voice came through in a rush, "Tsuna! Do you know where Gokudera- _kun_ is?"

Tsuna raised an eyebrow and replied just as Hayato frowned, "Yes, he's with me right now. What's wrong?"

Giotto sighed in relief, "Ah, thank god. G. never got any text or call from him last night or this morning, so he was freaking out thinking that something happened to him."

Hayato pulled out his phone and flushed in embarrassment. The stupid thing must have switched to silent. There were five missed calls and ten unread text messages. Shit.

"Well, he's alright. Right?" Tsuna glanced at him.

"Y-yea...sorry for worrying you."

"It's fine with me, I suppose. But what were you doing that you didn't call or text him? You always let him know where you are lately." Giotto sighed. "Anyway, I'm on my way home. Work let out early."

"A-ah, okay. See you then," Tsuna said.

"See you." The call ended and Gokudera looked over to Tsuna before sending a hastily written text to G. that contained an apology and his current status. He heard the door open.

"I'm back." Tsuna's face fell and Gokudera quickly recognized that voice to be Reborn's.

Well, shit.

* * *

Gokudera and Tsuna were being stared down by Reborn, Giotto, _and_ Xanxus while Squalo and G. stood off to the side to observe. He stared off to the side and was leaning forward, his elbow propped on his knee and his hand covering his mouth in a nonchalant way while it propped up his head. Tsuna sat next to him, leaning back against the couch and watching the ceiling as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. Gokudera was both terrified and impressed that Reborn had noticed almost immediately. Though, current circumstances permitting, he really was not enjoying all the attention. It was reminding him too much of those three.

Giotto smiled (there was a terrible feeling it wasn't a kind smile) and asked, "So...Tsuna, care to share why you have bruises on your neck?"

Tsuna played dumb and replied, "What bruises?" Gokudera saw him wince when Reborn pulled at the turtleneck.

"How about the ones that look like a fucking _hand print_?" Reborn growled and whirled on Hayato, "And you! Why did you let this happen to him?" He flinched and subconsciously shrunk in on himself; he really did not want any more attention.

"Oi! Leave him alone!" Tsuna retorted.

He heard G. snarl from the side, "that's my cousin you're yelling at."

"He's the reason you have these bruises and that cut on your cheek." Reborn poked Tsuna's ribs and earned a hiss, "And this bruise here."

Tsuna grabbed his brother's wrist and shouted, "It's not his fault damn it! So leave him out of it."

Hayato mumbled into his hand, feeling guilty all over again, "I'm sorry...you know it's my fault."

"I already told you it wasn't! Reborn- _nii_ is just being a dick because I got hurt!" The brunet turned to him and stated in a softer tone, "I already said it was my choice."

Giotto tried again, "Please, Tsuna, just tell us what happened." However, Tsuna turned his head away stubbornly. Hayato, in the meantime, had brought his legs to his chest, wrapped his arms around his chest, and pressed his forehead into legs, intent on hiding. He wanted to just get away from everyone, but he knew if he moved, he'd bring more attention to himself. Thus, he rooted himself to the couch. He flinched when Reborn opened his mouth,

"Son of a-"

"Xanxus," Giotto thankfully intervened, "...Xanxus, why didn't you notice this morning when you saw Tsuna?"

"I saw. I just didn't say anything." He could imagine the scarred brother shrugging indifferently. Squalo finally spoke up, as if recalling,

"Ah, now that I think about it, didn't the little silver brat have a split lip or something?"

"Hayato!" He flinched when his cousin called his name. He heard the other come closer, and felt the stares of the others on him. His cousin sighed softly, "...Let me see." Reluctantly, he lifted his head, but looked off to the side rather than at anyone. "Where else are you hurt?" G. frowned.

"N-nowhere," He stuttered, "Tsuna got hurt more than I did." He hoped Tsuna wouldn't mind the lie.

Giotto began to speak again, once everyone settled themselves, "okay, Tsuna, we now know that both you and Hayato are injured on varying degrees, so please tell us what exactly happened." The brunet turned to look at him. He met the inquiring gaze asking for permission. He wanted to say no, pretend nothing was wrong, pretend it was all a lie, say that he got hurt tripping down the stairs, anything that would get him out of this. Yet, all the same, he wanted it all to end, to gain a normal life, to let everything come to light, and so he nodded.

Tsuna began to explain the important details, leaving out other less important things that would have been weird to talk about, and he was thankful for it. Tsuna grasped his hand in the silence as the elders absorbed the situation, squeezing it gently. He looked at the brunet, and then their hands before he quietly returned the gesture. He was grateful for the reassurance.

G. finally asked, "Hayato, why didn't you say something sooner?"

Gokudera quietly answered, "I...was scared...to tell you. I...didn't want to bother you...with my problems when you're the only family member left that cares."

"Hayato, you know I care, so you shouldn't have to hesitate to tell me when there is something wrong. Do you know how long I've been worried about you?"

All he could do was apologize. "I'm sorry..." G. sighed, placing a large hand into his silver locks and ruffling them in an affectionate and reassuring manner. Briefly, he remembered when his cousin would do this when they were younger. Whenever he was upset, the redhead would ruffle his hair. It would irritate him to no end, but he appreciated the gesture all the same.

Giotto spoke next with a frown, "Tsuna, how long did you plan on keeping this from us?"

"I didn't. I just wasn't going to share right away. We were going to tell you, and then Reborn- _nii_ threw a tantrum," Tsuna answered and the brother in question snorted. "I didn't want either of you flipping out over my small injuries before I could tell you."

"Hah...anyway, the fact remains that I have three asses to kick for hurting my little brother and Gokudera- _kun_."

Reborn muttered under his breath, "Three asses to kill is more like it."

"Stupid trash," Xanxus grunted.

"Tsunayoshi, what were their names again?" Squalo wondered, arms crossed.

"Ah, Mukuro, Bel, and Byakuran?" Tsuna stated, unsure.

Frowning, Hayato filled in, "Rokudo Mukuro, Belphegor, and Millefiore Byakuran."

Squalo looked at Xanxus and said, "Belphegor...Bel. Don't we have someone like that at work?"

"I will kill him," Xanxus growled.

Tsuna sighed, "Murder is illegal." Despite everything, Gokudera couldn't help the smile at the statement, though he hid it well.

Somehow, he knew Tsuna would say that.

* * *

Gokudera hated visiting Shamal. He was going to get a lecture about taking better care of himself and how Shamal didn't treat men and all this other bullshit he didn't want to hear. He knew G. had been looking for more injuries at the apartment but he thought he was going to get away with it. While waiting for Shamal, he and G. sat in silence, though it wasn't very comfortable.

G. was having a hard time accepting that his little cousin was going through such trauma for a long time and he never even knew. Gokudera was having a hard time adjusting to the fact that people really did care about him. Eventually though, Shamal did come in.

"Jeez, stupid brat, what did you do now?" Shamal grunted, "You know I don't treat men."

"You owe me a favor," G. reminded him, looking annoyed. Shamal raised his hands in defeat and began to look over the injuries. He determined that the knife cuts wouldn't need stitches and that everything would heal soon enough. He then went on and lectured Hayato just like the silveret knew he would.

"Alright already, stupid pervert!" He shouted, flushing. The doctor rolled his eyes. Despite the obvious irritation, he knew about the underlying concern for him.

"Whatever brat," He snorted and looked to G. "I don't want to see him in here for a while, got it?"

"Yeah, I know," G. nodded. "C'mon Hayato. Let's get you back."

"...'kay," He murmured. Once back at the apartment, he joined Tsuna in the brunet's bedroom. They ended up talking for a bit before deciding to get some sleep. He stiffened when Tsuna first encased him within lean arms, but he relaxed as he remembered who it was. He pressed his face into Tsuna's neck, and drifted off soon after he returned the embrace.

He felt like he finally had a place to belong.

* * *

As always, he knew peace couldn't last. The anxiety that something bad was going to happen always gnawed at him, and he knew it was bound to happen. He wished he wasn't right. His head pounded and really couldn't think straight enough. It had only been a week since everyone found out and the two of them had been kidnapped in broad daylight, which was fucking fantastic since everyone had work during the day (except for G., but he probably would be sleeping right about now).

He had taken in the surroundings and immediately panicked upon seeing Tsuna unconscious and tied to the metal beam.

" _Mukuro_!" He growled, noticing the pineapple.

" _Oya_ , hello kitten," Mukuro smirked, and crouched down. He would have retorted and snarled back if a heavy weight dropped on him hadn't knocked the wind out of him. It knocked his head blank for a moment, and he rushed to prioritize his thoughts.

" _Shishishi_ , hey Princess," Bel grinned and Byakuran from across the warehouse waved cheerily, mouth full of marshmallows. He wanted to scream and shout and kill them, rage taking over like it had never done before (he had only let rage get the best of him when he was still in middle and high school, but those times were nothing compared to now) but he couldn't even move. Even his mouth was feeling numb, and he had no idea how he had spoken the first time.

" _Nng_.." Tsuna groaned and Hayato's eyes widened. No! Mukuro grinned and stood in front of Tsuna.

" _Kufufufufu_ , I see our guest of honor is finally awake." The pineapple caught the brunet's attention and he felt ten times worse.

"Oh, finally? I was just getting impatient," Byakuran smiled, popping a marshmallow into his mouth. "You shouldn't keep people waiting, Tsunayoshi-chan."

" _Shishishishi_ , finally the Prince can play with his Princess," Belphegor snickered. Tsuna widened his eyes and Gokudera stared back guiltily. Tsuna wanted to move, but he only managed to jerk his head back with Mukuro forced a kiss on him instead.

"Now then, I suppose we should reteach our little kitten that trying to get away is unacceptable," Mukuro smirked, grabbing the brunet's chin.

"Ah, how unfair. You two get to have all the fun and I only get to keep watch." Byakuran chimed, shoving another marshmallow past his lips as he disappeared out the door.

" _Shishishi_ , you lost rock-paper-scissors, get over it." Bel flipped him over and he glared at the blond, beyond rage at this point. He flinched when the knife cut open his shirt, and sputtered for something to say,

"S-stop!" He tried moving to no avail. He had to let Tsuna get out of this. It wasn't his fault! He'll take all the blame! "Leave him alone, please!" Mukuro had said something, and Tsuna snarled something back. He could hardly pay attention when Bel was cutting at him, leaving marks and pinching parts of his skin hard enough to bruise, his wrists uselessly pinned above him. He writhed, trying to focus on something else, but it was hard when Bel was suddenly biting down on his skin, making it bleed. He gasped, tears spilling as he was suddenly turned and pinned down. He clenched his eyes shut, knowing what was coming yet still shouted out in pain when it did.

_It hurt, it hurt, it hurt hurt hurt hurt-_

His conscious wavered, but he managed to stay awake when the door finally burst open, making all actions come to a halt. He couldn't see who was there to rescue them, and all he could think was _thank god..._

He blacked out at some point when punches were being thrown.

* * *

He dreamed about a mother who was still alive, a father who cared, and a half-sister who didn't try to poison him. It wasn't long into the dream before he realized it wasn't what he wanted. If that were all true, he would have never come to Japan and despite the terrible events, he wouldn't have met Tsuna.

He woke up with a small groan, his body feeling sore and somehow numb at the same time. He shifted, wishing to move, until,

"You shouldn't get up." He jumped at Tsuna's voice, but obeyed him and laid back down onto the cot. He turned his head and rested it on his folded arms to look at the other. "How are you feeling?"

He murmured, "...Okay...tired. Are you okay?"

"I'll be alright."

Already, he began to apologize, "Tsuna, I'm sorry. I'm the one who-"

"Hayato," Tsuna cut him off, and shot him a warm smile, "I already told you that it was my choice to get involved in this. Don't beat yourself up over this, okay?"

He nodded slightly, "O-okay." However, he still wasn't sure about that. Really, without him then Tsuna would have been better off, no matter how much he would have wanted to meet the brunet. Somehow sensing his distress, Tsuna slowly pushed himself up, and off the bed without ever once sitting. "T-Tsuna!" He exclaimed in worry.

"It's fine," Tsuna smiled, walking shakily over to the other bed, using the walls as a guide. The brunet joined the silveret, laying down on his belly, and grasping Hayato's hand with his own; He gently intertwined their fingers as Hayato subtly scooted over to give him more room. He was given a small reassuring smile, and he sent one back in return. They settled next to one another, the sound of their heartbeats lulling them to sleep.

_Finally_ , he thought, _it was all over_.

* * *

Hayato sighed, leaning back against the couch. He was entirely exhausted from work. The meeting had taken two hours longer than planned and he was just arriving home. It was hard to believe it had been a little over two years since then, and he and Tsuna had only lived in their new apartment for several months now.

"Hayato, you okay?" Tsuna asked, leaning against the back of the couch. "If you're tired, then you should go to sleep in the bed."

"...I'm alright," He said, even though he yawned a second later. "I wanted to see you first."

Tsuna smiled and planted a kiss on his waiting lips. "You've seen me. Go to sleep. It's late."

"Come with me?" He asked, standing slowly and stretching out tired limbs. Tsuna shook his head with a smile, but took his hand and led him to the bedroom. The clock read eleven at night in blaring red numbers, and Hayato turned his head away to find his pajama pants to change into. Tsuna, who was already ready for bed, shooed their two cats, Natsu and Uri, out of the way, and pulled the silveret down with him. The cats easily squeezed themselves together at the foot of the bed, and Hayato sighed softly, his eyes closing.

"Welcome home, Hayato," Tsuna said quietly. Smiling, Hayato drifted off,

"I'm home."

And he really was.

* * *

_Fin._


End file.
